The Legend of Zelda: Catalyst of the Dark
by EriaStrife
Summary: No one can control the darkness completely... Not even Ganondorf himself. But when dark beings begin to learn of a special item that may have the power to control darkness completely, they'll do anything to get their hands on it. Dark Link x OC
1. Prologue

It was once said that darkness can not live without light and that darkness needs the light in order to keep itself from going out of control. There are some that choose to bring out the darkness in order to control the things they desire. But, there has not been one who has been able to control the darkness completely. Even the evil king from the past, known as Ganondorf, was not able to control all of it; even with the Triforce of Power.  
The darkness is a completely uncontrollable unless set off by special catalyst. The catalyst is a dark purple jewel that shines in the rays of the moon. The jewel itself is made out of the souls of evil entities that once tried to control the darkness and lost theirselves to it.  
The three goddesses, Farore, Nayru, and Din, who had foreseen this took hold of the dark jewel and formed it into a live being and placed this being in the land of Hyrule. They had predicted that if the catalyst took the form of a Hylian, that the power would be safe. But, they were wrong. A dark force had also predicted that this course of action would happen if the Goddesses had interfered.  
The goddesses had thought that if the catalyst took the shape of a being, that it'd be safe from evil since it no longer had it's original crystalized form.

The dark man not only knew about the goddess' plan, but could also sense the catalysts power even if it was in the form of another. And so, the dark man sent out his beasts to capture the catalyst. The catalyst didn't even know it's own purpose or why it was being chased down by those beasts, but it didn't want to find out. Day and night the catalyst ran and hid wherever it could. The catalyst had no idea why it was being chased down, even when it asked, there was no reply. It was an innocent being with no memory of a nonexistant past.  
The catalyst only remembered awakening in a forest and right away being chased by the dark beasts. It had no clue as to why this was happening, but it felt the need to run from it. It sensed the danger and the darkness from the beasts and knew that itself was in danger.  
The catalyst took the form if a Hylian girl. Her outlook was entirely unique. Her eyes were an emerald green and her hair was white, but the tips of her hair were a light purple. Her skin was an apricot color, slightly pale, and she looked about seventeen. She knew little words when she first woke. She knew nothing about the world she now lived in; and when she was hungry, she'd eat whatever she could find. The second day in the world, she was already thin and sick. The things she ate and drank were not good for her body. The white shirt and pants she had on became brown, dirty, and torn.

One day, the beasts struck again. The girl ran across the green grasses of a huge lake. Lake Hylia, the grandest lake in the land of Hyrule.  
The girl looked back to the demons. Because of her body getting weaker, the demons were able to catch up to her. Because she didn't stop, the closest demon used it's claws to knock her over, leaving 4 blood red scars on her back. The beast picked her body up off the ground, she looked as if she was going to pass out. The demons looked at one another, ready to take the girl with them; back to their master. The beast who had it's hand on the girl had suddenly stopped moving. A silver blade passed through the demon's chest and it disappeared into a black smoke and the girl dropped to the ground. The warrior used his sword to slice through the other two demons and they, too, disappeared into that black smoke.  
The male picked up the young girl into his arms and she looked to him. She heard the male's voice, but with her current state, everything was a blur and she couldn't make out what he was saying. The male wore green but that's all she could make out before passing out. The mysterious youth took the girl in hand and took her to his home, in a forest not far from the lake.


	2. My Name Is

The sun's rays shined brightly through the window beside the bed. The young girl who had been sleeping for about three days had finally opened her green hues. She turned her head to the right to look outside of the window. She could bearly see the blue sky. Brown bark and green leaves mostly covered the sky. The female moved her head to the left to see she was in the home of another. Wincing, the girl sat up to see that the clothes she once wore was no longer on her. Now she wore a long white gown. She reached under it and travelled to her back. She winced once again, feeling the bandaged wound on her back. She brought her hand back out and looked to the palms of both of her hands, clentching them over and over.  
The sound of footsteps came through the wooden door and the girl quickly turned to see who it was. A blonde-headed male with blue eyes and green clothes had walked in. He looked to the confused nameless girl who had stared right back to him.  
"You're awake!" he said with a smile and a relieved tone.  
She spoke not a word to him, but watched him walk over and set a basket of apples on the small round table that stood next to the bed. She had seen him as a warrior back what she saw. A shield and sword on the male's back. Thoughts went through her mind.  
Was he also going to chase her? But, he aided her. So, why would he when he could have done that when he had found her?  
The girl shook her head to erase the thoughts from her head and her eyes narrowed to her hands that now gripped the bed's sheets.  
"You've been out for three days. I suggest you stay in bed for a couple more. The wounds were deep, so it'll take longer to heal." the male said, staring at the girl.  
From his point of view, she looked nervous or scared. He looked down in thought, then his eyes averted the to the basket of apples he had brought just a minute ago. He took a bright red apple into his hand and moved it in front of the girl's eyes. The girl slightly motioned back, looked to the apple and than at the male. She blinked her eyes a couple of times before taking the apple into her own hand and stared at it curiously. The blue-eyed man couldn't help but chuckle. Did she not know what what an apple was?  
"You need to eat. It's good for you." he told her with a smile. "It's an apple. You can eat as many as you want."  
The girl looked toward the male then to the apple again. She slowly brought the red fruit to mouth and bit at it. Her face beamed at the taste and she continued to eat the apple.  
"Oh! My name is Link." the male said, watching her. "What's your name?"  
The apple in her mouth, the girl said nothing but replied with a shake of her head.

She didn't have a name, no identity, no past. She only knew of now. As far as the girl was concerned, she was just some object for people. Waking up just to be chased by a bunch of monsters for a reason she knew nothing of. Her first impression of the world was dangerous. The only thing she had seen that was good was the man sitting at the bedside before her. He rescued her from those beasts. She didn't forget the green blur from days back when she was attacked. The man, known as Link, saved her. The proof? He was here and she was in his home. That was proof enough. He took care of her while she slept and bandaged her up.  
While she was in thought, Link opened his mouth to speak, but he had heard someone else call his name from outside of his window. This caught both of their attention. Link looked out the window to see a fellow villager wave up at him.  
"Link! Come down at the shop whenever you have time! I need your help!" the man yelled up to Link.  
Link nodded and waved, "I'll be there soon, Niles"  
Link turned to the young girl and patted her head. "I'll be back soon, alright? Don't go anywhere."  
Walking out, the green hero waved a 'bye' to her. The girl simply watched him and turned her head back out the window as soon as Link had walked out. She saw a few brown birds sitting on the branches of the trees, singing their song. She couldn't help but smile. It seemed so peaceful. She wanted to explore, but Link had told her to stay and rest. Why was that? She wondered to herself and just hopped off of the bed. Her whole being shook. She had forgotten how bodily weak she was, but she decided to go out anyway.

Stepping out of the house, she looked around and had seen that the entire house was made out of wood, like she was inside of a tree. She was in awe. Her surroundings were all greenery and there were also many houses too. There was civilization around. She hoped they were nice folk. She was alittle scared of people, outside of Link. Someone was after her after all. She couldn't trust anyone without proof of their trust first.  
She breathed in. The air was nice and fresh. Some of the villagers gave her a strange stare, not just because of her coming outside in just a white gown, but because of her odd outlook. It was rare to see a person with white hair, but to see a person with white hair with colored tips was unheard of.  
The girl kept her head down, but her eyes would look at each person. She wanted to run from their sight. When she was about to just run away, a hand grabbed her shoulder. The girl jumped back, frightened. Her face was full of fear.  
"H-Hey now." It was Link who had grabbed her shoulder. "It's alright. I saw you from the shop so I came over. Are you alright?"  
The girl's heart almost stopped from fear, but it quickly rushed away. She quickly draped her arms around him, in a shaking hug. Her heart was still racing, but it slowed down once Link had placed his arms tightly around her. It felt reasurring.  
Link chuckled. "You're like a little kid. Like a sister, really."  
The girl looked up to him and gave him a gentle smile. She didn't know what a sister was, but it sounded safe to her. Link viewed her as like a little sister even though she looked roughly around the same age as him. Her antics and not knowing anything about the world would make people think she was a small child.  
They both released each other. Link gently placed his hands on her shoulders to lead her back to his home.  
"You need to stay in bed. I can tell you're having a hard time walking. We need to get you to eat and drink to build up nutrition again." Link gave her a soft smile and looked foward.

Link layed the mysterious girl back into bed and covered her up. It was still morning. She wasn't sleepy, so she sat straight up and looked to Link.  
"Stubborn." he chuckled.  
She looked up then out the window. She had not seen the world like this yet. Clam, peaceful. She couldn't help but smile at the scenery. It was like a fresh new start, but deep down the girl knew it wouldn't last forever. Those beasts were bound to come back for her. If they found out where she was, not only will Link be in danger, the entire village as well. She didn't trust them, but she felt like she had to do something to protect them.  
She made up her mind. As soon as Link were to step out again, she would leave. Until then, the girl sat in bed all day. She said not a single word came from her mouth. Once in a while, Link would say a couple of words and she would listen, but other than that, it remained quiet within the house. She watched Link when he cleaned his sword and shield. They shined brightly, especially when the sun reflected on it. Link would would trace a finger along the sharp edges of the blade, up to the tip. She can tell by Link's smile that the blade was sharp enough to his liking.  
"I need to go out again. I was asked to hunt some boar. I'll be back late tonight, alright?" Link told her.  
The girl simply nodded to him and watched as Link placed his sheathed sword and shield on his back and grabbed a couple of apples for the day to eat. He told her bye and headed out. When she felt he was far enough, the girl stepped out of bed and also grabbed some apples. She didn't want to go out with nothing to eat. She wanted to tell him goodbye, but she didn't even know how to read or write. She had nothing to leave behind to signify a 'goodbye' either; and so, she simply walked out.

The girl travelled out through the forest, the oppisite direction from the village. She didn't get too far though. A group of children yelled out from behind her. When she turned, she could see the mischevious look in their eyes. Without stalling, she turned to run away. Her weak legs only allowed a light jog. The children were directly behind her. One of them roughly pushed her on her back, causing her to fall foward. The pain from her wound delayed her reaction to get up and try again. She looked up at them and they began talking down to her. She heard the words 'strange', 'abnormal', and 'awkward'. She heard many more, but she was too scared to know anything. They began to speak another language. Unknown to her, they were speaking Hylian. She heard their snickering and next thing she knew, they began to throw stones at her. It hurt. She curled up into a ball and as soon as she did that, some of the kids began to kick her, even in her wounded area. It wasn't long until the girl passed out from not just pain, but from stress and weakness.  
"Tch, she passed out. Let's go." one of the children said, leading the other children back to the village.  
She was completely dirty and bruised. Why did they attack her? She couldn't understand. This made her fear of others grow even more. She didn't want to go on, to live anymore. The world was a dangerous place. She saw nothing good in the world.

It was about an hour before help reached the girl. Link came back early, feeling uneasy about leaving her alone. His instincts were right. On his way back, before he reached the house, he saw the girl's body on the hard ground. He quickly ran up to her. To his relief, she was still breathing. He quickly took her back to his home and laid her in bed. He didn't know what happened, but he bandaged her up all over again. Nothing was broken, so Link sighed and slightly smiled. He could tell it wasn't a monster because they would have killed her. That only left the villagers. But who?  
As much as Link wanted to say something, he didn't want to accuse anyone. He knew if he asked the girl, she wouldn't speak either. He was at a loss.  
The girl's eyes slowly opened. Again, she was back where she started, in bed. She looked to her side to see Link sitting in a chair. He had fallen asleep. She turned to look out the window. The sky was already black. The moon and stars were shining too.  
She sat up squinting and shaking. Her body was in even more pain than before. She reached over to Link and placed her fragile hand upon his cheek. Link's blue eyes opened tiredly. He quickly looked up at her.  
"Are you alright!?" he said out, worridly.  
She didn't answer him. She simply looked down with the slightest nod.  
"Can you tell me what happened?" he questioned, but the girl just shook her head.  
She didn't want to tell him. If she had, Link would surely confront the children. She was worried for herself. What if they came back to get her? What if the pain was more harsh than before? SHe couldn't take that anymore. But, she didn't want to speak to Link either.  
She bit her lip and shook. Link placed his hand upon her shoulder and her shaking stopped. She looked up to him to see that he was smiling. Why did he smile?  
"A name." he said. "You need a name right?"  
Her eyes slightly widened. A name? Oh, yes. She had forgotten that she was nameless. Was he trying to cheer her up?  
The girl tilted her head when Link looked up in thought. It didn't take Link a long time to think of a name for her.  
"I got it. How about Adina?" he looked to her.  
The girl's eyes grew big. Adina. That name. She thought it was the most beautiful name in the world.  
"A... Adina..." the girl smiled widely, tears forming in her eyes.  
"Y-You spoke...!" Link looked at her suprised. "So you can speak!"  
She nodded. "I... I can."  
The girl's voice was very soft, almost quiet.  
"Then..." Link held out his hand to her. "Let's start over... My name is Link. What is your name?"  
The girl looked to his hand and slowly placed her own in Link's. She stared as Link slightly gripped her thin hand and she peered back up to him. She smiled softly.  
"My name is... Adina."

The girl, now known as Adina, had finally smiled. Link gave her the most precious gift in the world: a name. She was happy. The happiest she's ever been. That day had gone and went and that entire night, Link and Adina stood up that night and talked until dawn.  
Unknownst to them, darkness was closing in. More beasts from the shadows began to rise and their orders... Kill everyone in sight and bring the catalyst to the being who laid dorment in the dark.


	3. Light and Dark

A couple of weeks had past since the young catalyst had stayed in Link's home. Her nourishment was back up and her bruising and wounds were almost gone. She talked more than ever and had learned alot of new things. Adina's fear still layed deep in her heart, but talking with Link washed it away.  
Adina couldn't believe how peaceful it had been compared to what it was weeks back. She had not seen one of those dark monsters in sight. Maybe they gave up their seach? She didn't know, but she decided to put that at the back of her mind for now. Adina was able to go out and buy some clothes and most of the villagers didn't look at her like they did before. She was always with Link, so she was able to see how nice the villagers really were. But, when she saw those kids, her eyes would quickly avert. She still feared them. The children had that look. They were innocent around others, but secretly, they had eyes like a demon. Adina imagined that the people in this world may have had hidden personalities like that, but she knew there were some who were really good.  
Adina clinged to Link's side while he was having a chat with one of the village's merchants. She recognized his voice of that matching Niles, the man who called Link out weeks back. Adina didn't know exactly what they were talking about, but what she did know was that Niles wanted Link to go to Castle Town to pick up some goods.  
Link nodded and turned to Adina. Of course she was going along. Ever since that day she was beaten by those children he never let Adina out of his sight again.

Link had a beautiful brown horse. He once told Adina about her. Epona, his horse, was as beautiful as he said she was too. Adina had seen her a couple of times before and always enjoyed playing with her.  
Link helped Adina onto the saddle and Link hopped up and sat behind her and grabbed the reins.  
"Hya!" Link lightly kicked Epona and she trotted off.  
This was the first time Adina got to ride on the horse. She smiled widely, taking a look around the area. She hadn't left the village ever since Link brought her there, so it was the first time she had been outside in weeks. She was alittle worried, but Link was her savior so she also felt alittle more safe.  
It wasn't long until they had left the village and entered the woods that surrounded it. Even though the trees reached up to the sky like high noon, the sun still shined through the leaves and branches. It was a beauiful sight. There were even birds who flew up above that casted there fast shadows on the ground below there feet. It was peaceful. Even the scent of evergreen caught Adina's nose; fresh and clean.  
Epona trotted across the woods. They had to be, already, miles away from the village. About ten minutes more and they would have left the field of trees. Epona halted, pulling back and lifting up on her hind legs, neighing. She was scared. Link held on to the reins and to Adina. Adina was scared as well. What was going on? Once Epona landed back on her front legs again, Link drew his sword from the sheath on his back. He was prepared for danger.  
He felt something eerie ahead and he glared forward, holding Adina tightly against him to protect her. From the behind a far tree and figure slowly blocked their path. This figure was tall wearing a black cloak. Link felt his heart pounding. He had felt this feeling in the past, but what was it? He couldn't remember. Not only did Link feel that mysterious person's uneasiness, Adina did as well. It was as if the person's aura was so black, that could suffercate you. Adina shook and couldn't take her eyes away. Fear gathered in her heart.  
"Stay here..." Link spoke to her in a low whisper and jumped off of Epona.  
Link approached the mysterious person, sword and shield in hand.  
"Oh my~" the mysterious being purred.  
The voice was deep and as dark as the cloak it wore. It sounded like a man. Getting closer, Link could see a wide grin underneath the man's hood. He bore fangs like a demon.  
"I'm not here to fight you, Link..." he spoke again.  
Link's eyes widened. "How did you know my-"  
"Just hand over the catalyst and I'll be on my way. As much as I'd love to fight you..." the dark man interrupted and licked his lips devilishly. "I have things I must do. So if you don't mind... I'd like the girl."  
Link's eyes swiftly looked back to Adina and then to the mystery man once again. His glare became harder. He wasn't about to hand Adina to some dark stranger. Link lifted up his sword, ready to fight the man.  
The cloaked male held up a hand and with the a snap of his fingers, dark beasts began to crawl out of hiding from the shadows of the trees. Adina's eyes widened. They look exactly like the ones that had attacked her to begin with. Link looked around. They were completely surrounded.  
"Damn..." Link cursed to himself and stared at the dark man.  
The mysterious man grabbed the side of his cloak and threw it completely off. Link's eyes, once again, went wide. He knew he had recognized that dark feeling. That feeling of evil. Link faced the man. The man looked exactly like Link. Of course not completely. It was a darker image of him. This man wore a black tunic instead of green. His eyes were blood red and his skin was a pale gray. His hair shined a brillant silverish gray as well.  
"D.. Dark...?!" Link exclaimed.  
Dark, the name if Link's counterpart, is Link's shadow created by the evil King known as Ganondorf. Because the evil King never died and was sent as a prisioner in the Sacred Realm, Dark was never released from his imprisonment. So he was still under the even man's control.  
Dark licked his sharp fangs and looked toward the girl. Adina motioned back just from his stare. His eyes glew. Adina jumped off of Epona and walked forward even though she had a huge amount of fear in her heart.  
"No! Adina stay back!" Link yelled at her.  
It was to no avail because Adina kept on walking closer to the dark man. Link grabbed her arm and she halted.  
"You're bound..." Adina said to Dark in a shakey yet caring tone.  
"What?" Dark sneered at her. "What are you-"  
"I can see them... A dark force..." Her eyes saddened. The look in her eyes angered Dark, but she kept on talking. "An evil force is binding you to it. I can see the black chains that tie you down. Forced to do evil bidding..."  
"Scilence, woman!" Dark snapped. "I can have these beasts kill Link if I wanted to, so I'd keep quiet if I were you."  
Adina bit down on her lip. She turned her head to Link and gave him a soft, sad smile. He stared at her and gritting his teeth.  
"No! Adina!" Link yelled out to her.  
Link could tell what she was going to do. Adina was the type to put others before herself. Her sad smile told him that she was going to go with him.  
"I'll go..." she said softly.  
"What? You're coming willingly?" Dark questioned, that devilish smirk still plastered on his face.  
"Yes, but... Please..." she looked down, searching in her mind for the right vocabulary. "Spare Link..."  
Dark's eyes narrowed. Spare Link? He could laugh. And with his entire being, Dark wanted to kill Link.  
Dark and Link go way back. When Link had chosen to save the Land of Hyrule, Ganondorf brought forth Dark Link, a being of evil, Link's shadow. Link would be reborn in every century that the Goddesses would sense danger in.

Dark Link ordered the demons away and so they disappeared in an aura is blackness. Adina sat upon Dark's horse. His horse was demonic as well. It was completely black and it's eyes also shined red. She placed her arms around Dark's waist and looked back to Link. She smiled to him, tearing up. She shook her head, telling him not to follow. Adina narrowed her eyes and then looked away. Dark kicked the side of his horse and it began to dash out through Hyrule field. Link couldn't move. His blue eyes just stared off into the distance, even after their images had disappeared from sight.  
Link didn't know Adina for very long, but he did care deeply for her. He did think of her as a sister after all. After awhile of standing, Link's knees grew weak at the realization of his loss and fell to his knees.  
_"Why couldn't I have done anything?" _Link thought to himself, staring to the ground. _"Why didn't I chase after them?"  
_Link was lost in his own mind. He could still go after them, but, he knew that they were long gone.

Adina looked back once again. The horse was fast because the woods were no longer in sight. She looked down and then foward. She wondered where they were going. They had past a couple of towns and he never stopped. Adina looked up to Dark's eyes. He seemed to be set on something, like he had a goal. This drew her mind into curiousity. She wanted to ask where he was taking her, what his goal was, but she was too afraid.  
"He can't have you..." Dark muttered.  
Adina quickly looked up to him in question. To her surpising, he actually answered the question she didn't ask out loud.  
"Ganondorf can't have you. No other dark being can have you either. Only me. Only I can have you. Your power can set me free from his spell!" his determined eyes began to craze.  
Dark's grin returned to his face.

Morning fell and night rose. Adina could feel herself dozing off. Her grip on Dark's waist had begun to loosen and her head laid softly onto his back. Dark Link had taken a look back at the fragile girl and foward again. While she slept, Dark reached a wide vast area of sand. He had made it to Gerudo's Desert. Of course this was the place that was the most secluded. After Gerudo Desert had been abandond, no one dared to go there. Many believed that the desert is haunted by past prisioners that used to reside there. The most haunted place in the desert is a place called the Gerudo Prision. The cruelist of criminals from all over Hyrule were sent there.  
Dark stopped and made a camp where none of the desert's monsters resided. His aim was to make it to the Gerudo Prision, but he was tired and still far from it. The desert was a huge place. It would take two days by horse just to reach there.  
Dark woke up Adina before he, himself, dismounted. If anything, he kept Adina safe from harm. She was the catalyst and the catalyst was an important artifact for the darkness. Adina, opened her eyes. Dark lifted her off and and coldly let her go, letting Adina drop hard onto her backside.  
"Ow..." She whispered to herself.  
Adina noticed that the ground beneath her was alittle softer than she was used to. She looked down and the ground was plated with a thin layer of sand. She looked around to her surroundings to see a wide desert that went on for miles. Adina's emerald hues turned to Dark, who was setting up a fire by a match he kept in a satchel on the horse. He had many things he had with him. Dark may have been evil, but he was living like any normal being would. He had to sleep, eat, and rest to survive.  
Once the fire was made, Dark sat next to it and stared into the flames. Adina sat on the oppisite side of the fire, peering into the dark sands. She had so much on her mind but decided to clear herself of it for tonight. She was tired. Dark made no moves, he just sat there listening to the crackles of the wood that burned in the flames. Adina's eyes slowly lifted from the ground to look toward Dark.  
"E-Excuse me..." she spoke softly.  
Dark's red eyes quickly shot up to look at her. He said nothing and waited to hear what she was going to say.  
Adina looked down and then back to him again. "Where... Um... Are we going?"  
Dark looked to the northest. "There's a place called Gerudo Prision. We'll be arriving there in two days time."  
While he was talking, Adina had made her way around the fire and sat next to him. She felt so much darkness inside of him, but somehow, he wasn't as evil as she should be. He was mostly completely angry and she felt sorry for him.  
Dark's head turned to face her then looked forward again. He really didn't care how close she was, he just hoped that she wouldn't anger him.  
"The darkness... The chains that bind you..." Adina moved her hand toward Dark's wrist.

Adina could sence and see things that no one else could. Dark's neck, wrists, and ankles were covered in black smokey chains. Usually, that would symbolize being bound to something or someone. Adina may not be good in the fighting field, but her sensing abilities were impressive. Her senses, of course, only work for dark beings.  
She may not know of her powers, but she can feel them and it scares her to feel it. The darkness from the beasts that were sent to chase her down also had those black chains, but they were differant from Dark's. The one who controlled Dark was a differant person than from the demons. Dark was originally created by Ganondorf by useing a peice of Link's soul. As soon as Dark was made, the Evil King bound him.

As soon as Dark felt Adina's touch, he snatched his hand away. His eyes were slightly wide. He wondered how she knew about his bind with the evil king. All he could do was stare at her. Adina motioned back, startled. But she didn't fear him. He, himself, looked scared.  
Dark really was scared. He never really had a chance to be with someone alone or talk to anyone like a friend. He was always ordered to kill and hunt down Link. Earlier when Adina had her arms around his waist, he had mixed feelings that he couldn't explain. He couldn't tell if he should of been scared or not.  
Dark turned back toward the fire, keeping to himself. Adina stared at him for awhile and lightly smiled. His aura was very dark, but that was only because he was made from darkness. But his heart felt alittle warm to her. She could tell he really didn't care for killing continuously. These thoughts made her small smile alittle wider.  
"What are you smiling about?" Dark questioned, when he looked back to her. He was alittle annoyed by it too.  
"You are... not cold." she replied.  
Because Adina didn't have a wide vocabulary, she couldn't exactly say what she wanted to him. She held out her hand to him this time to give him the decision if he wanted to shake hands with her.  
"My name is Adina."  
Dark looked to her hand. He felt uneasy. Shaking hands with another person? He'd never do that, but for some reason he did. Dark placed his hand in her own and slightly shook it. Dark was convinced that it wasn't his own doing, that it was the catalyst's dark power that attracted him, not her.  
"Dark..." he simply returned his name in gesture.  
They didn't shake hands, his just simply held hers. His ruby eyes just stares at them. He was suprised that he didn't pull back right away. When he looked up to see Adina's soft smile, he quickly took his hand back. Dark looked back to the fire.  
"Get some sleep... It's going to be a long ride tomarrow..."  
Dark handed her a blanket to lay on. She stared at it for awhile.  
"What about you?" she asked.  
"Later."  
Dark was going to stay away and watch out for monsters. He didn't care about feeling sleepy. Adina cared though. If it was going to be a hott long day tomarrow, he also needed his rest. Adina crawled over by his side and pulled the blanket over both of their shoulders and she laid her head on his shoulder. Dark was taken back by her action. What was she doing? She was being way too nice to him. He wanted to use her for his own purposes. He was sure she understood the predicament she was in.  
"You... Sleep too, Dark." Adina muttered, closing her eyes.  
She was terribly tired. She fell sleep wide away.  
Dark looked down. "Damn girl..." he said to himself.  
He shook his head. It was unknown to even himself; Dark smiled for the first time in his life and he watched Adina for awhile until he would also fall into sleep


	4. Warmth in the Prison

It was scorching hott. The sun felt closer in the desert than it did back in the woods. Because the lands were treeless, the sun's rays hit them directly. Dark looked back to Adina who's head leaned on the male's back. She was panting heavying. It was like the heat was sucking up her air and leaving her mouth dry. Of course, Dark didn't seem effected by it. He looked foward again and held out a container of water. Adina's eyes slowly looked up and widened at the sight of the clear liquid. She took the contained and smiled, thanking Dark. He, of course, shrugged it away and looked back to her again. She drank the water, strings of it running down her chin. She made sure to save some too. The ride was a long one and they had to perserve as much water they could. That had reminded her. Where was the food? Did he have any? She opened her mouth to ask, but Dark suddeny halted the horse when a giant sand worm jumped from beneath the ground and into the sand once more. It laid far beyond the plain. From where they were, it seemed like a small monster, but up close, Dark knew of it's height and power. It was a strong monster.  
Dark decided to take his usual route. Whenever he'd come to the Gerudo Prison, he'd take the long route. Even he knew he couldn't defeat that giant sand worm. If they could cross over that way, they'd make it before the day ended. He had no choice to go around. They'd arrive there tomarrow night if they didn't stop that is.  
Taking this route, Adina looked down to the sand, holding on to Dark tightly. Monsters, known as the Leever, began to rise out from the sands. They looked like pot shaped plants and they spun in the sand. They were scared of the horse, so they were still. If Dark and Adina were on foot, no doubt would the Leever attack them. They were small, but they were fast and deadly.

The horse trotted through the desert. It was strong and could live up to four days without food and water. It was a demonic horse after all. Dark had one less thing to worry about. He just had to concentrate on the road ahead, but that blew out of poportion when he suddenly heard Adina's stomach growl.  
"You havn't eaten since Brogan Village, have you?" he asked her.  
Adina nodded slightly, embrassed by the sound her stomach made.  
"I can't have you dying until I've used your power." he said cold and turned to look at her. "Can you wait until nightfall?"  
Adina nodded. She was smart enough to understand. At night, it was cold, but there was a fire they could use to cook any edible animals.  
"I can wait..." she spoke quietly, but loud enough for him to hear.  
Dark looked foward to the sea of sand. They were silent for hours and soon the sun had gone down and the half moon began to rise. Dark halted his horse. He ordered for Adina to stay on the horse until he killed off all of the monsters in the surrounding area. The sand was thicker here and this time they were not able to sleep in an area that was safe.  
Dark brought out what looked like the sword that Link carried, the Master Sword. Of course, Dark's sword was black instead of blue. With a vicious grin on his face, he cut through every monster that was around. He was merciless. Adina had to look away. Even if they were monsters, it still seemed cruel. It wasn't long until Dark killed off everything in the surrounded area. He even killed some small desert animals for them to cook and eat.

Dark finally had the fire set. Him and Adina sat next to it, watching a snake and a lizard cook over it. She wondered if this is how Dark ate everyday. She coudn't see him cooking or go into some kind of shop. Hunting suited him best.  
Looking up to the sky, Adina could see the sparks and smoke of the fire rise into the sky. The fire was bright and it'd attract monsters sooner or later. Because of that, Dark decided to keep awake for the entire night. He could go a day without sleeping and still would be alright.  
They ate quietly once the snake and lizard cooked thoroughly and after that, Dark let Adina lean against him to sleep again. He stared into the fire, thinking of the path that still laid ahead of them. He had it all planned out. Tomarrow night they'd arrive at the prison and he'd right away place the catalyst inside of a magic circle and use it's power to add to his own. He smirked at the idea and licked his fangs in thirst. In his own mind, he could already feel the power coming to him. He turned his red orbs to Adina, the way she looked, he could just eat her up and take it all.

The night was a safe one. Now it was the sun's turn to take action once again. Dark and Adina hopped onto the horse and Dark kicked at it's side and it galloped onward. He actually wasnted to get there sooner, so he ordered his horse to sprint. Adina held onto Dark alittle tighter so that she wouldn't fall off. She didn't want to rush it. She knew he was out to get her despite the little good he had inside him. It was the evil king that gave him darkness, so she didn't blame him at all.  
Adina looked behind them and her eyes slightly widened and she turned to Dark.  
"Something is behind us... Under us." she told him, her voice alittle shakey.  
Dark took a peak behind. She was right. How couldn't he have sensed it before? He pushed his horse to the limit, but whatever was following them was able to keep up with them. The ground was shaking and beginning to crack. Dark's eyes went wide. He knew what was coming next. The ground began to part below them and Dark tried to get away but him, Adina, and the horse fell through and into the abyss.

It felt dry and cold here. Were they still in the desert? Dark's eyes flashed open and he found himself inside of a cell. The doors were not bar doors either. The way out was protected by an electrical field. He looked around and found out they were inside of the Gerudo Prison. He looked down.  
"This place was empty... How are there monsters here?" he questioned and lifted his head quickly, looking around again. "Adina?"  
He continuously looked throughout his cell and began to panic.  
"D-Dark...?" Adina was in the cell across from his.  
Dark sighed in relief. Did the monsters not know who this girl was? She walked as close as he could to the electric door.  
"There is... something here... Something powerful..." Adina stated. "The very top floor... It is there..."  
The male's eyes looked up to the cieling above him. Now he could sense it. A dark force above them. He glared and his entire body began to sink to the floor, becoming a shadow. There were lit torches on the walls and they produced shadows in the floor, letting Dark become a shadow and slide into Adina's cell. Unfortunatly, he wasn't able to get her out. His being began to form up from the ground and he became whole again. He stared at Adina who had watched him reform.  
"I'm going to go look around. I havn't been to this part of the prison before. I'll see what's going on beyond here." Dark told him.  
When he turned to leave, Adina grabbed the back side of his tunic and looked at him. He turned his head to look at her. Adina's eyes told him that she was scared and not to leave her alone there. Dark turned his body completely to face her and placed his hands on his shoulder.  
"Stay. Alright? Don't worry. Just give me ten minutes tops. I'll return soon." he assured her and once again became a shadow.  
Adina could see the shadow move swiftly against the walls and out of herself. She shook and ran toward the dark corner in the cell and sat there in wait.

Dark slowly reformed in a differant room. Once he became whole, he walked around the area. The torches lit up the room pretty good, so he was able see around. He could see little brown rats knawing on skinless skulls. Dark's elvish ears perked slightly at the squeaks the rats made. He could tell that people didn't just die here, they were killed and eaten by the monsters that dwelled here. He picked up one of the skulls and studied it. Dark had not been to the prison for about a month and he had killed every single monster in it. The smaller beasts, of course he knew they'd return, but the big one up above. He questioned it. If some strong demon was above them, something must have been going on.  
"Tch!" Dark scowled. "No one takes my fortress and thinks they can get away with it..."  
He clentched his fists at the sound of growls. Dark quickly made his way back into Adina's cell before he could get caught by the monsters that entered that room.  
"Adina..." Dark called.  
She jumped out from her corner in fright. After seeing Dark, Adina placed her hand over her chest, waiting for her heart to calm. Dark could see her eyes. She was getting so lonely a scared that tears were on the verge of falling. She gave Dark a smile of relief. She didn't think he'd return. But, of course, he did. She was a prize to him after all.  
Dark sat in the corner where Adina had sat and sighed. She turned to him.  
"Dark... You are... Okay? You see anything?" she asked him.  
He simply stared at her and opened his arms for her to come into. Adina tilted her head to him and slowly slid to him. Unexpectedly, Dark grabbed and pulled her against his chest and placed his arms around her.  
"Don't get the wrong idea. I just needed some warmth." he stated.  
Adina kept her head down so that he wouldn't see her heated cheeks. The hug that Link had given her felt more friendish, or more like a brotherly hug. But when Dark Link held her this way, her heart started to race.  
Dark didn't want to admit it, but he hugged her because she looked scared. He didnt feel anything for her. He couldn't have. He kept on telling himself it was the catalyst's power that attracted him. Not her. Eventually, Adina fell asleep in his arms. Dark stared at her for awhile and then leaned his head against the cold steel wall. He couldn't sleep at all. He wanted to make sure things were safe. The growls from the beasts before could still be heard from the other room.  
Dark sighed. How was he going to get out of the cell with Adina? He needed to find the switch that turned off the electrical system. It had to be in the area somewhere. He decided to wait until Adina would wake up.

Dark held Adina tightly. She was warm. Dark's body tempurature was normally cold. Not even he could understand why Adina liked to lean on him. The eyes she gave him; she just felt sorry for him. He knew that.  
Dark's eyes widened when he heard loud footsteps enter the cell area. They were monsters. The growls crept up closer. Adina's eyes opened and she groaned lightly. When Dark noticed, he quickly placed his hand over her mouth and she looked up at him. Dark placed a single index finger to his mouth to tell her to keep quiet. Of course, she agreed. With that, he removed his hand from her mouth. Adina curled up into his body. They hid in the corner. Dark watched as the monsters passed them by. He knew that if he made any noises, the monsters would divert their attention to him and Adina. He had to keep her safe so that he could use her because once her power is used up, that would be all. She'd become a regular Hylian girl. It only worked once and Dark wasn't going to let anyone have that power but himself.  
If Dark were alone, he could easily defeat those monsters, but he didn't want to risk Adina's safety. It turned out, the monsters were only doing their rounds and they walked out of the cell room. Dark sighed and look down to Adina and she faced him. Unexpectedly, Adina reached up, placing her warm hand against his pale cold skin. He couldn't look away from her green eyes. It drew him in. Nothing was happening. Nothing at all. They just stared at each other for the longest time.  
Adina felt something. She felt Dark's inner self. He wasn't some cold-hearted beast like he was made to be. If he were, he wouldn't be this gentle. Right? The evil king made him kill innocent people and fight Link. Dark, himself, couldn't help that.  
Dark moved in closer to her. What was he doing? Adina didn't know how to react. It was a new feeling to her.  
But this feeling didn't last long. Dark quickly stood up and Adina tipped back, looking up to him. He looked toward the cell door, this caused her to look as well. A huge dark figure, a monster, released the electric field that kept them inside. It stepped into cell and quickly grabbed Adina from the ground. When Dark went in to stop the beast, it easily swatted him away. Dark hit the wall behind him.  
"Nooo!" Adina let out while the monster dragged her out of the cell.  
It was hurting her arm. It's grip was so hard that it even left a mark on her arm.  
"Dark...! Dark!" she called out to him.  
Hearing her voice scream out his name and in pain, no doubt, Dark quickly got up and before the monster could set up that electric gate, Dark peirced it through it's back. The monster let out a cry before it began to dissolve into a black smoke. Dark was angry. Hearing Adina's voice sound like that made him upset.  
Adina ran and jumped into Dark's arms. She was terrified just thinking about what was going to happen to her. Dark placed his arms around her tightly and looked away.  
Why did her scream anger him so much? Not even he knew. Dark was confused. He only knew this girl for two days and he already felt like he changed alot because of her. He shook his head. No. He needed to hurry and use her power before someone else took it. Dark grabbed her shoulders and pryed her off of him and stared at her.  
"Are you ready to go? We're going to the very top and we're going to to defeat whatever is up there." he said to her in a serious tone.  
Adina stared up at him, her hands on her chest. She nodded to him and they both turned to the door that led out to the next room.


	5. To Change the Darkness

Dark gripped the torch in his hand and Adina held on to his other arm. Now that they were free from the prison cells, they could finally travel to the top of the prison and try to defeat the monster above. There were many corridors they could take. Dark was suspicious. The prison seemed more like a maze and he wasn't very fond of mazes. Dark growled to himself out of annoyance. Which corridor would take them to the higher floor. He didn't even know how far down from floor one he was. Dark turned his head to Adina. He knew she had better sensing abilities than he did. He had to swallow his pride and ask Adina where they were.  
"A-Adina." Dark looked away from embarrasment when Adina turned to look at him. "Can you sense how far down we are from the first floor? The first floor is the entrance... I'm sure you can sence things above ground?"  
Adina nodded. "I... Will try..." she responded softly.  
She closed her eyes, placing one of her hands upon her chest. Because she can feel the power of each enemy, she was able to sence what floors they reside on. The desert held monsters too, so she could find which floor the desert was on.  
While Adina concentrated, Dark looked around to make sure no one was coming. He was always on guard, even if he knew there was no one around. His red eyes circled the room, the same places over and over again. Slowly, he was getting impatient. Dark turned to Adina to yell at her to hurry, but she opened her eyes and looks to him.  
"I think... I have it..." she told him with a nod.  
Adina pointed upward. "Entrance... Is two floors up."  
"Well done, catalyst girl." he grinned, showing his fangs like he was ready to fight. "Let's go."  
Dark walked passed her and her eyes followed him. Adina began to move right behind him. She kept close behind him, scared out of her mind. She gripped onto his black tunic the entire time so that she wouldn't get lost. Dark's red hues slightly looked back to her and then to the front again.  
"Why are you so scared?" he asked her in an annoyed tone. "You're the catalyst. Realize your own power for goddess' sake."  
Adina's head hung. He was right. She didn't want to admit that she was weak and scared, but her actions had said it all. Slowly and alittle hesitant, Adina let go of Dark's tunic and just merely walked behind him.  
It wasn't long before they reached the first floor. Adina was relieved to be out of the basement floors, but it wasn't over yet. They still had to reach the top floor. Adina wanted to take her time because if they were to get there, then one of them would take her and drain her of her power. Dark was in a rush. He wanted Adina. He had to have her. His thirst for power grew the closer they were to the top. He could practically taste Ganondorf's defeat in his hands.  
Adina could see the darkness in his eyes. She knew he so desperately wanted to break his chains of darkness.

Dark could feel himself changing. Though he couldn't admit it, it frightened him. It was because of her. Adina's kindness. He hated it. He hated that warm feeling. Was she playing with him? Completely annoyed by all of this, Dark decided to act completely cold to her from now on. When she drew close to him, he'd push her away physcally or verbally. He hated how she could see his chains and he hated when she had brought it up.  
The prision was hot. Being natrually cold, Dark had no problem, but Adina was sweating and looked as if she was going to pass out.  
"Tch! We're only on the second floor. You're weak." Dark told her. "Let's take a break. I caught this earlier."  
He held up a big lizard and handed it to her along with a torch. "Use these to cook it."  
Adina wanted to thank him, but of course he walked away before she could. Dark scanned the area awhile Adina cooked the lizard.  
"Dark... You eat too." she had only eaten half and held up the other half to him.  
Dark turned to her and then the lizard. "No. You eat it. You're weak and I don't need you to burden me right now."  
Adina frowned from his words. She didn't want to go against him so she ate the rest of the lizard. After some time had past, Dark and Adina continued on through the prision. Dark killed monsters left and right. His sinister smile never left his face when blood caught on his clothes and skin. He was like a crazed killer. Adina couldn't watch him when he killed. It was too grusome for her. He'd even go as far as licking the blood from his blade.  
He had gone too far on this kill. A huge worm-like monster, similar to the more larger worm that swam the sea of sand, appeared. It was a baby, but it was still twice as large as a regular person. It was weaker than a grown-up, so Dark found it easier to kill. Once he killed the worm, he just kept attack it like he wanted more blood. He laughed histerically.  
Adina finally gathered up her courage and jumped in front of Dark, holding onto both his arms tightly.  
"Dark... Please stop... It is... dead..." she spoke softly, sadly.  
He stared at her for awhile. "You're telling me to stop?"  
He lowered his sword and looked to her. Adina felt the darkness swelling up inside of him. His eyes told her he wanted to hurt her. Dark gripped onto her wrist very tightly.  
Adina felt his tight gripped. "Dark... Do not let the one tying you down... control your emotions..."  
She felt a hard pain overcome her wrist. Was he trying to break it? After hearing her words, Dark quickly took his hand away from her. He didn't even realize what he was doing. He's the darkness, so sometimes his darkness goes out of control.  
"He's getting stronger... Let's hurry up, woman." he glared, but it was more toward himself than at Adina.  
As much as Adina didn't want to go, she hurried. She generally cared for others and Dark was no exception. She wanted him to be free, even if he stayed the way he was when he'd be free.

"Something's odd." Dark said, after reaching the fifth floor. "There were hardly any monsters on the first floor and up."  
Dark and Adina looked to one another. The further up they went, the quieter it became.  
"There is... nothing above except for that powerful force..." Adina told him.  
Since nothing stood in their way, Dark took Adina by her hand and ran the rest of the way to the top. Adina staggered behind him.  
Reaching up to the last floor, Dark stared at a tall light brown french door. The rim of the door had a spiral decoration. The door would have been so beautiful, but the paint had looked like it was peeled away like the skin of a sick man. It was aged.  
"Dark..." Adina stared up at him.  
Her eyes told him that she didn't want him to go in. They pleaded with him, but he had ignored her plea. Dark pushed open the thick, heavy door. Inside was dark and the air around them was cold and dry. Why was it so cold? They were in a desert, yet Adina was freezing. Dark had no problem with it since his skin was natrually cold.  
Three steps into the room and torches from each side of them lit up in a line to the furthest side of the square room. The fires lit up to a full armored statue. Adina and Dark looked around but no one was around.  
"Where is this guy?" Dark spoke out, mostly to himself.  
Both Dark and Adina looked around, seeking out the powerful being. While Dark searched one side of the room, Adina searched another. Other than exploring the room, she stopped in front of the thing that stood out the most: the statue. Her green eyes scanned it and her right hand lightly traced up it's glossed armor. Her eyes widened. If this was an old place, then wouldn't this statues armor be rusted?  
She quickly turned around.  
"Da-! Mmhp!"  
Before Adina could call Dark's name out completely, the armored statue moved and placed it's hand over Adina's mouth and moved her body up against it's metal armor. Dark didn't hear her, but did hear the statues footsteps when it moved it's legs. It stood tall, about ten feet. Dark turned to it and growled when he had seen that it had hold of Adina.  
"Damn..." he muttered to himself and reached back, taking hold of his dark Master Sword.  
The amored man's voice rang out of it's armor. It said dark and deep.  
"Thank you for bringing the girl." it simply said.  
As much as Adina tried, she could escape it's grasp. It was incredibly strong. She looked to Dark with eyes that called for his help.  
"You're such a weak girl!" he told her.  
Dark ran toward the armored creature and swung his blade. It made not one dent.  
"What...?!" Dark was shocked.  
His sword was just as powerful as the Master Sword itself and he couldn't even put scratch on that armor.  
The dark being laughed. "It's useless. A dark sword can not defeat me."  
It swung it's free hand at Dark and it hit him across the face. It was so full of force that Dark was swung on the other side of the room and hit the wall, leaving it widely and deeply cracked. Dark fell to the floor.  
"D-Dark!" Adina yelled out, getting her mouth free from the dark being's hand.  
It kept it's arm around her tightly.  
"Don't get the wrong idea, Catalyst. He doesn't even care for you. You see... You give off this pheromone to dark beings such as us. It attracts us to you. But, it only works on teh lesser beings, such as this shadow. Why do you wish to be saved by him? In the end, he will use you for the same thing I am..."  
He was right. Dark did intend to use her power as well. Those words kept Adina still.  
Dark groaned, slowly raising to one of his knees. He panted heavily. That hit took a great toll on him. He gripped his sword and when he was getting up to try again, a flash of green ran past by him.

Adina's eyes widened.  
"L... Link!" she smiled widely.  
She was so relieved he came for her. Link gave her a smile and pointed his blade to the dark being. It knew that Link was a being of light, so he placed Adina on the ground so that it could fight Link seriously.  
Adina stepped back and ran over to Dark. She brought her hand to his shoulder.  
"Dark..."  
"Don't touch me!" he yelled and pushed her back, staring angrily at Link.  
Adina stared at Dark.  
"He always gets in my way. Always playing hero. I hate living in his shadow!"  
Adina then understood. Dark hated Link because he was jealous. Link had so many friends and everyone loved him, but Dark was cast aside to live in darkness. He was hurt. He wanted to be important too. Was that the reason he wanted to break his chains? Adina didn't know what to say to Dark. She wanted to comfort him, but now wasn't the time.  
Link had landed plenty of hits and it landed hits on Link. Link had many deep scratches and bruises and the armored being's armor was coming apart.  
"You're just a giant Darknut!" Link mentioned, smirking.  
The battle continued. With every hit Link struck it with, it's armor fell off and it's speed began to rise. Now what was left was the chainmail left on the body. Link wiped the sweat from his forehead and they clashed once more. It wasn't long before Link had won the battle. But this being didn't give up. It gave off a laugh and looked at the three of them.  
"You think this is the end? Think again. You'll have to find another place for the ritual... If you can escape that is..."  
Before it died, it punched the ground below it, causing the floors below it to shake. The being died in a black smoke. Link ran over to Adina and grabbed her hand.  
"Let's go!" he called.  
"No! I won't leave Dark behind!" she frowned.  
Link was shocked. She wanted to save him? But he was evil. He knew she wouldn't leave without him. Link nodded and grabbed onto her shoulder.  
"Hold him." Link told her.  
"Yes!" Adina forcfully took Dark's arm even when he struggled for her to let go, she held on tight.  
Link had set up a warping spell in the prision, so they were able to make it to the entrance. The three of them stood back and watched the prision crumble down. Dark was angry. He turned to Link and grabbed him by the collar.  
"I didn't ask for your help! Don't think I won't kill you!" Dark yelled at Link, but Link was calm.  
"Dark..." Link started. "I don't want to fight you... As much as I want to settle things between us, Adina doesn't want that. Right, Adina?"  
Dark and Link looked to her and she nodded.  
"Link..." Adina held onto Dark's arm.  
Dark stared at Adina.  
"I want to travel with Dark some more."  
"What?" Dark and Link spoke in unison.  
She didn't give them a reason, but she obviously wanted to help Dark.  
"But, you do know that he's trying to use you, right?" Link asked her, confirming that she knew.  
"I know... But I..." she looked down and tried to find the right words to say. "Please... Trust me." she looked up to Dark.  
He was very confused. She still wanted to be near him, even after knowing what he wanted from her.  
Link sighed and nodded. "I do trust you. I think I can leave him up to you. Be safe. And you better take care of her, Dark!"  
"Don't tell me what to do!" Dark snapped and stormed off. "Hurry up or I'll leave you behind, woman!"  
"Yes!"  
She smiled to Link and ran off beside Dark.

Link watched them as they disappeared into the desert. He trusted in her judgement. He believed that if anything can be done about Dark, she would be the one to do it.


	6. Amity

After finally making their way out of the desert, Dark and Adina found themselves at Lake Hylia. For now, they were travelling with no real destination. Because the ritual tower at the prision was destroyed, Dark didn't know where another one was. Until then, he just went from place to place. Adina followed him like his shadow. It was mostly quiet. Dark didn't really want to spark any conversations with her even when she tried. They only spoke when nessesscary.  
It was camping time; when dusk approached. Dark set up a fire while Adina bathed in the waterfall that connected the river to the lake. Dark looked out to the horizon, thinking amongst himself about what to do about the ritual. If he could just find some kind of mage, he'd be set.  
Rubbing the back of his head, Dark sighed and looked down to the lake. He had made a fishing pole made of a stick and thin, but strong, string followed by a hook at the end. He threw the line into the water and waited for the fish to hook in.

Adina looked into the rippling water. She was already undressed and underneath the waterfall. The water fall was short and slow, so below it was really shallow. The bigger waterfall laid on the other side of the lake.  
Water trailed down her pale, slender body. All the days that had past, her body grew stronger. It wasn't as weak as it was when she was in Link's village. Her hair had even grown a bit longer, but she asked Dark to cut it alittle. He was alittle resistant to that idea, but has ended up doing it anyway.  
Adina looked down, her eyes, not really staring at anything. Her mind was elsewhere, thinking about what to do next. She wanted, so much, to help Dark be free. But, was there a way to do that other than useing her? There was the evil king, of course, but he'd never set him free.  
Adina sighed.  
Hearing a sound to her left, she quickly turned her head and took a step closer.  
"D-Dark...?" she called softly. No answer.  
The noises in the grass drew closer. She was afraid. She kept thinking it was the shadow beings again. It had been awhile since they'd been seen, but it didn't mean they were gone.  
When she stepped out to land, it quickly jumped out at her.

Dark heard a scream and quickly turned around.  
"Adina..." he quickly grabbed his sword and sheild and quickly ran off to her location.  
He had also been thinking of teh dark beasts who were after her. Dark jumped out in front of Adina, panting. She was in no danger. Adina held a small baby rabbit in her hands. She stared at Dark. Dark stared down at her. He wanted to growl, but his eyes caught the sigh of Adina's naked body. It took him awhile until his cheeks turned into a bright red. It had also took a while for Adina to respond. Once she had seen Dark blushing, her cheeks flushed as well. The rabbit jumped out of her arms and she covered herself.  
"D-Dark..." she spoke, embarrassed.  
He quickly turned and ran away. He didn't know what to do. It was the first time he had seen a naked woman's body. His heart was beating fast. He shook off the feelings, excusing it as Adina's catalistic pheomones.  
He sat back at the fire, catching plenty of fish for them to eat. Adina returned to the campsite and sat on the oppisite end of the fire. Dark kept his gaze away, for if he looked to her, his cheeks would go red again. Adina couldn't help but look at him, trying to figure out what was wrong. Of course, she didn't really get what was going on. She crawled around the fire and sat next to Dark. He was slightly startled and turned his head away alittle more. Adina tilted her head and drew in closer to him. What made him jump was Adina's hand on his shoulder. When he had jumped, he scurried back with the haste of a cat and panted heavily, his face flushed.  
He flailed his arms at Adina. "Y-You! Stay back! What are you doing to me?" he asked, scared of his fast heart.  
Adina stared at him and then placed her hand over her mouth and let out a laugh. In her point of view, he looked quite funny. He looked scared, but not the frightening kind of scared. When she laughed, Dark stared at her and looked away from embarrassment. He groaned to himself.  
In the end, they sat next to each other, eating the fish that Dark had caught and cooked for them.

Night had come and gone. Adina woke up late morning. She looked around and had seen Dark was gone. Before she could ask herself where he was, her eyes caught him. He was far, but the distance between them was inclosing.  
"Here." Dark told her, tossing Adina some clothes.  
"There was a village nearby and I grabbed some supplies we needed for the journey. Change into those clothes."  
"Th... Thank you." she smiled to him.  
"Don't get the wrong idea. The clothes your wearing now look horrible. I don't want to bee seen with you like that." he growled and turned his back to her.  
Adina removed her current clothes and slipped on the new ones that were given to her. Dark didn't exactly know her size. The shirt was purple and it fit her pretty big. The left sleeve hung off of her left shoulder. The white pants were for kids, so the length was short, reaching at the top half of her calves. The shoes were a good size though. They were white and could just be slipped on with no trouble.  
"I have changed." Adina said.  
Dark turned and brought his hand to his face. He knew that the sizes were wrong, but he looked at Adina's face. She was really happy. She must have liked it, so he didn't bother saying anything.  
"Okay. Let's get going."  
Adina nodded, following close beside him. Dark carried all of the heavy items and Adina carried the light ones. His next destination was a small village only half an hour away. It was a village of hard workers. Mostly horse breeders and farmers. Dark needed a horse. He and Adina had collected rupees along the way just to buy one. Dark could just steal one, but Adina would stop him immediatly. She knew right from wrong and she'd always stop Dark from making bad decisions.

Both were oblivious as to how close they had gotten to one another. Adina smiled more and Dark didn't give her cold words as much. When monsters showed up, he protected her without the dark thoughts of useing Adina for her power. It wasn't that he had forgotten, no, it was just that he didn't know what else to do.  
It had been several days since they had left the desert and he had heard no word of any other ritual areas. As much as he wanted to give up, he couldn't; he wouldn't. His determination was so high, that it surpassed the will to give up.  
The scilence they gave off didn't seem awkward, but more like peaceful. When they stopped to rest, Dark would stop where there was shade and sit in it. He was darkness, so he hated the light, but at last he could walk in it despite his hatred for it.  
Adina always sat next him, laying her head on his shoulder. In the beginning, Dark would push her off, but gradually, he let her. The days after leaving the desert, he tried his hardest to avoid Adina, but she never gave up. This annoyed him very much that he just let her do what she wanted.  
The tree they sat under was tall. The leaves were falling from it. Adina looked up and caught a leaf that fall and danced in the wind. Soon after, she let it go and watched it ride the wind. She smiled softly.  
"Adina." Dark spoke softly.  
When she turned to him, he reached over and gently took a leaf out from her hair. Their gaze met with one another. Dark drew closer to her, leaning in. Adina stared at him, not knowing what to do. She felt weird. Her heart was beating really fast and her cheeks felt hot.  
"D... Dark...?" she said in a soft tone.  
Breaking out of what seemed like a spell, Dark motioned back. The back of his left hand covered his mouth.  
Dark looked away. What was he about to do. He cursed under his breath.  
"Damn her pheromones..."  
Dark stood up and turned away from her. "Let's get going. This break is good enough."  
Adina nodded and they began to walk the dirt road once again.

It wasn't long until their destination was met: Karin Village. It was truely beautiful. Adina could see the gardens of corn, pumpkin, and even lettuce. Horses were eating their hay and cows their grass. Dark quickly made his way to the farmer in charge of the horses. Adina sneaked off to another part of the village while Dark was kept busy. It was a peaceful place and everyone was very kind. Adina had no trouble buying food from the farmers. After buying some vegetables, Adina took it upon herself to look around a bit more.  
Dark sighed, holding a horses' reign. He looked around, looking for Adina. It took awhile, but he finally caught sight of her.  
"Sightseeing..." Dark whispered in a groan and then called out to her. "Adina!"  
Adina turned to Dark and ran, meeting up with him.  
"I bought us some vegetables... Is that okay?" she asked.  
Dark nodded and looked to the horse. "I bought us this horse."  
He told her, taking the bag of vegetables and tied it with the luggage on the horse. "Let's get out of here..."  
Dark took Adina by her waste and picked her up, placing her on the horse. Adina was light, so she was really easy to lift. Dark climbed onto the horse himself and lightly kicked the horses' side. It trotted off.  
They made their way out of Karin Village. Adina had her arms around Dark gently.  
"Where are we going now?" Adina asked, tilting her head.  
"Castle Town..." he replied. "It has alot of people and I might be able to find the information I need from there. By foot it would take two days. But if he ride by horse, it could take a day or less."  
"Okay." she looked up to the blue sky.

Adina had wished they could just travel the world without having to worry about the troubles of Hyrule. But they, being born as they were, couldn't have such peace. Not yet anyway. The dark king and who knows who else is out there after her, it was hard to live in such a life. They couldn't even stay in a village long because Adina feared that people of Hyrule would be in danger. She didn't want that. Dark could have cared less as long as he got what he wanted, but he also didn't want to cause trouble until he got what he wanted.  
Adina layed her head against Dark's back. He slightly looked back to her before returning his eyes forward again.  
"Hold on tightly. We're going faster." he warned her.  
"Ah. Yes!"  
The arms she had around him tightened and then Dark kicked the horses' side harder and it galloped.  
Adina stared at Dark's back and then closed her eyes. She smiled. She loved his scent. Adina didn't know what she was feeling, but it wasn't bad.  
"It seems further than I thought. We'll be there by nightfall." Dark explained to her.  
They travelled for a couple of more hours before stopping to take a break. Not only did they have to care for themselves they also had to care for the horse. Dark sat somewhere alone while Adina tended to the horse. She took the horse to a small stream to let it drink. It even ate some grass as well.  
Dark watched her from afar. "It's a bad idea to have her here. Her pheromones are driving me crazy... But, I need her power..."  
He looked up and closed his eyes. "Adina..."  
He hadn't realized he called her name then. He slowly stood up and walked toward her location. Adina's ears twitched and she turned around, looking to Dark.  
"Dark... Is it time to go...?" she asked him.  
"No. We can rest a bit longer."  
Adina smiled widely and looked to the horse. Dark looked away.  
"It's not for you. I'm just abit tired. Got it?"  
Dark felt like he had to explain that to her, even though he didn't have to.  
"I... I got it." she stared at him, her head tilted.  
Dark rubbed his head and walked away from her. "We'll leave in five minutes..."

Night came. Dark looked ahead, seeing flames up ahead.  
"They've lit the torches." Dark turned to look at Adina.  
She was leaning against his back, sleeping soundly. He looked forward again.  
Dark managed to make it to Castle Town. He left the horse is safe place before entering town. He carried Adina on his back instead of waking her. Since it was night, nothing was open but an archery and bombchu gallery and an Inn.  
Dark made his way to the Inn, paid for a room, and layed down on the single bed. Dark removed his sword and shield, his hat and tunic. He stood by the window, looking out to the town.  
"Tomarrow... We staring asking around..."  
"Dark...?" Adina slowly sat up and rubbed her eyes.  
Dark turned to Adina. "You're awake... You can sleep pretty heavy. I carried you all the way in here and you didn't even budge."  
She let out a chuckle and walked over to him. She stood beside him and looked outside.  
"Tomarrow... You'll ask around for a new ritual ground, yes?" Adina asked.  
"Yes. Someone, maybe a fortune teller, will know." Dark stared at her. "Go back to sleep..."  
"A-Ah... Yes..." she looked down with a sad smile.  
She wanted more time. More time to change his mind. She knew it was a futile effort, but she wanted to try anyway.  
Adina slipped back into bed and looked up at Dark. "Will you come to bed too?"  
"Not yet... Just sleep. You need it more than me anyway."  
"Okay... Sleep soon..." Adina stared at him until she eventually fell back to sleep again.

Dark looked up to the moon. He was done playing games and he was ready for action. He brought his thumb to his mouth and bit the tip of it until it bled. He smirked as if he craved blood again. It had been awhile since he had slain anything big.  
He licked his lips.  
"Once I find out everything..." he looked to Adina. "I'll have your power... I'll defeat Ganondorf... I'll be free."  
Dark slid and sat onto the floor and leaned against. He closed his eyes and fell asleep, keeping a grin on his face.

**-**  
_**I thought I'd put in a tiny bit of humor and romance into this chapter. Don't worry. Next chapter will be back on track.**_


	7. Sanctum

Castle Town was a bright and lively place. While Dark kept busy gathering information, Adina ran through the crowds of people. She even stopped by the Bazaar. They had alot of items that she had never even seen before. Adina reached into her pouch, that was tied around her hips, and pulled out her rupees. She counted them to see how much she could spend. Adina smiled widely. She had plenty of rupees left from when she had bought food back in Karin Village. She bought a couple of items and stored them away into a small pouch.  
Adina stopped at the fountain that was in the middle of the town square. She sat on the side, watching the water dance.  
"Adina!"  
Adina turned, hearing Dark call out her name. He walked up to her.  
"I got some information. There's supposably a man who lives around here that used to study magic. Let's go."  
Adina nodded, following close to Dark, making sure not to get lost in the crowd. She kept hold onto his black tunic. Dark took some back allys, following a handwritten map to the man's house. He stopped once he reached destination.  
"We're here..." he smirked, knocking on the door.  
Adina let go of his tunic and peeked out from behind him. The door opened and to greet them was an old man whose beard was long and white and his head completely bald. He used the aid of a cain to help walk.  
"Greetings stranger... How can I he-" he stopped in mid sentence, looking over to Adina.  
His closed eyes opened in a sort of shock.  
"Old man...?" Dark stared at him.  
"Hmm... Come in." he turned and let them walk inside after him.  
Adina closed the door after her and the man insisted they sit down.  
It was silent for awhile until the old man spoke. "I think I may know why you're both here. A man of darkness. The catalyst."  
"So you know who we are?" Dark stared at the old man, ready to get down to business.  
"Of course. I'm a retired mage. I can sense darkness and the catalyst's power is familiar as well..."  
"Good. That saves me the time of having to explain that much to you. Tell me where the ritual grounds are. The one in the Gerudo Desert was destroyed. I know there is one other one."  
The old man stared at dark for awhile and looked to Adina. "I'm surprised. I never expected you to follow him. Ho ho ho!"  
Dark growled, knowing he had just avoided his question. "Old... Man..."  
The man turned back to Dark. "You can just call me Schimdt."  
Old man Schimdt looked to Adina. "I havn't seen you since you were in your crystalized form. Though you took the form of a Hylian girl, the power in you is the same."  
He stood up and walked to his shelf full of books and took out a red book. It had no cover and it was torn. Some of the pages were even sticking out of it. He looked through it thoroughly and took out a page. It was a cream-colored and the ridges seemed to have wear and teared. He walked back over to Adina and handed it to her.  
"You seem to going with this man willingly. Take this." he looked to her and then to Dark. "You'll have to make a stop before reaching your destination. Even if you took her to the ritual place, you wouldn't be able to use her power."  
"What?" Dark glared at the man. "What do you mean, old man?"  
"Because her power is sleeping. You need to awaken it first. To do so... You need to go south to Brogan Village. There, they have a place called the Sanctuary of Hylia. There is a magic circle there. Have the catalyst stand in the middle and read the instructions. Make sure you get it right the first time... If you don't... Something terrible might happen."  
Schimdt stood up to stretch his old bones.  
Dark and Adina also stood as he did. "Brogan, huh...? That's where Link lives... I don't want to see him."  
"I can't wait to see Link!" Adina let out with a smile.  
Dark sighed. "Let's go."  
"Oh. Before you leave." Schimdt looked into one of drawers and pulled out a bottle with a purple liquid in it. He handed it to Adina. "You'll know when to use it. The world is a dangerous place. Your last destination is the Temple of Time. Be safe."  
Adina nodded. "Thank you so much!"  
She waved to him and they began to set out.

Dark sighed to himself. He held onto the reigns lightly, letting the horse lead the way to the south.  
"Damn that old man... He wasted so much time."  
Adina looked up at Dark. "He was nice. He helped us out alot. At least he told you some other useful information."  
"That's true, but..." he looked back at her. "Hey... You're getting better with your speech... You hardly have to pause between words now."  
Adina tilted her head. She hadn't even noticed. "I've been learning more words whenever we stop places. I listen to people... There is still much more I must learn... I learn most of it from you though..."  
Dark looked up and then turned away from her.  
He looked down slightly, thinking amongst himself.

Finally, they had arrived in the forest. Brogan Village was just miles away from the wood's entrance.  
"Dark... This is where we first met." Adina told him.  
He didn't say anything. His cheeks were a slight red. Why did she point that out? It wasn't like he cared.  
"Dark... The places we've travelled to... Have you ever been to them previously?" Adina was curious about Dark, so little by little she asked about him.  
While the horse made it's way through the path, Dark and Adina engaged in small talk.  
"Ah.. Not really... I've been to Castle Town before, but not really for sight seeing. It was because Ganondorf was there and I was under orders. He always has me locked up until he asks for my assistance. Like now." he explained to her.  
"Like now?"  
"My real mission was bring the catalyst to him. I agreed for my own selfish purposes as you already know..."  
"Th-That's dangerous. He'll surely come after you!" her voice shook with worry.  
Dark stopped short.  
"What the-?"  
"What is it?" Adina peeked over from behind him and her eyes shot open.  
Smoke rose from afar and the sky was lit in orange. There was a fire and it was in the direction of Brogan Village.  
"Dark! We have to go! Please!"  
Dark kicked the horse and it galloped it's way toward the village.  
When they reached Brogan, it was ingulfed in flames. Adina quickly jumped off the horse and headed into the inferno.  
"Adina!" Dark jumped off as well. "Stupid woman!"  
He ran in after her.  
Adina coughed and looked around. There was no sign of Link. Where was he? She noticed that some villagefolk were still escaping and some were already dead. Adina ran around, looking for people who couldn't make it out alone, for wounded people. She heard cries of children and ran toward the direction she had heard it from.  
She stopped when she noticed that it was the children who had treated her badly when she had first came to the village. Because they did that to her, it didn't stop her from helping them. So with no hesitation, she ran over and bent down.  
"It's Adina!" one of the children exclaimed.  
She stared at them. One child was unharmed, the others only had scrapes and bruises. One other one had a spained ankle. She quickly picked him up.  
"Y-You're helping us?" one child asked.  
Adina nodded. "Please. Follow me."  
Adina held the child firmly and ran out toward the forest where the fire had not reached. She put the child down. "Do what you can to get out of here. I have to go back in... Tell me. Where is Link?"  
"Link? He chased someone into the Sanctuary of Hylia." the unhurt child explained.  
"The Santuary...? Where is it at?"  
"When you go back to the village, keep going straight. It's abit further into the village. You shouldn't miss it. The building is huge."  
"Right. Please make your escape." Adina told them.  
"Okay. And Adina!"  
The children looked at her sadly, all of them bowed to her and spoke in unison. "We're sorry..."  
Adina smiled and shook her head, heading back to the village.

Before she left for the Sanctuary, she had to find Dark first. She called out his name a couple of time, but there was no answer. Adina grew worried. She knew he wouldn't have left her because he needed her. Was he in danger?  
Continuing to go further into the village, she noticed monsters had been slain. They weren't the dark beasts from before, they were just regular goblins. Adina bent down and looked at the blood. Some of the goblins had just been slain, that means someone had killed them recently. Since Link was in the sanctuary, Dark must have been the one to do it. Following the bodies of the goblins, Adina finally caught sight of Dark.  
He had just killed another goblin. From where she was, she could see the sanctuary. It really was easy to spot. The building was entirely white and incredibly huge.  
Adina looked up. It was beginning to rain. That was good. The village would burn out soon. She ran up to Dark.  
"Dark! The sanctuary. Link is inside. Let's go!" Adina told him, quickly running past Dark and into the building.  
"Idiot...!" Dark ran after her.  
Inside the Sanctuary of Hylia, it was a slightly dim. Link was already deep inside of the building. There were dead goblins and lizalfos on the ground.  
"Link... We have to find him Dark!" Adina turned to look at him.  
Dark groaned at her request. She'd go even if he didn't want to help Link. But if she died, that would have caused a problem, so he decided to help her.  
"Link is a part of me. Just wait a bit. I'll sense if he's around..." Dark closed his eyes.  
Adina smiled to him and waited patiently. While waiting, she took it upon herself to look at her surroundings. She began to think: Why did this happen? Who did this? No one had a reason to attack these village unless they were after her and somehow knew she had lived here for just a bit before. In her mind, she blamed herself for the things that had happened.  
"He's further in... Follow me." Dark ran deeper into the sanctuary, followed by Adina.  
Dark turned down a corridor to his right, continuing to run. It wasn't long until the sounds of swords clashing were heard. Worried, Adina ran faster to reach Link.  
Adina and Dark stopped once they caught sight of Link.  
Link's sword clashed against the sword of another swordsman. The other male had not one single scatch on him, but Link, on the other hand, had plenty. He panted heavily and quickly glanced at Dark and Adina.  
"You guys are here...? How...?" Link spoke, taking deep breaths between words.  
"We came here to do something, but we found the village like this." Adina explained.  
"I see..." Link jumped toward the swordsman, beginning battle once again.  
"Dark..." Adina looked at him.  
Her sad eyes caught Dark's. He motioned back. He knew exactly what she wanted. Him to help Link. Dark wanted to refuse. If Link was dead, that would be one obsticle he would have been rid of. Adina's eyes were so catching that it drew Dark right in. It was as if he couldn't resist her.  
Dark didn't realize that all this time, since Adina hadn't awoken her power, that he was doing all of this by his own free will and not by the Catalyst's pheromones.  
"Tch. Fine. Just quit looking at me." he said, turning his head and placing his hand over his mouth.  
Dark's cheeks were a very slight red. He pulled his sword from his sheath and carried his sheild. Dark made it to Link's side.  
"I'm only helping because I don't want think building in ruins. Got it? I have business here." Dark glared at Link.  
Link simply grinned. "Of course."  
The two of them jumped into action. Side by side, they took on the swordsman. Now that the two were working together, the swordsman had a harder time fighting. Blade swung left and right. Adina followed every movement. Dark held up his blade, thrusting it into the swordsman's stomach while Link came from up top, swinging his sword down and cutting through the shoulder. The swordsman had lost and disappeared into a cloud of smoke like the dark beings did.  
Dark and Link panted and looked at one another.  
Link smirked. "Not bad, Dark."  
"Not bad for a Hylian..." Dark replied with a grin.  
They both returned their swords to their sheaths and the shields to their backs. Adina smiled, grabbing both their hands.  
"You guys were great. I knew you could do it." she praised.  
Dark lightly blushed and looked away and Link smiled widely to her.

Link led the way to a spot with the sanctuary that Dark and Adina had been looking for. It was a ritual place, but not used for gaining the Catalyst's powers. There was Hylian writing on the floor, glowing a neon blue.  
"So, what exactly are you guys doing?" Link finally asked.  
"We're awakening my power." Adina said with a smile.  
"Awakening your power?"  
Adina nodded. "Yes. We spoke to a man who knew about me. He said I should awaken my power. So, here we are."  
"I see. Power, huh? I wonder how that will go."  
"Enough!" Dark yelled out impatiently. "Let's begin Adina."  
Adina nodded and stood in the middle of the wordings on the floor.  
According to the instructions, Dark had to speak in Hylian; the spells. Adina's job was to dance. There were steps to the dance drawn on the wall that Adina had to follow.  
Inhaling and exhaling, Dark began to speak the words on the paper. Adina begun to do the instructed dance. It was a traditional dance that had been performed more than a thousand years ago by ancient Hylians.  
The words on the ground glew brighter. They began to cover Adina. When Dark finished the spell, Adina's dance ended. She looked up and closed her eyes. Adina held her arms out. The light had gotten so bright that it had blinded Dark and Link. The bright blue light had darkened to a purple and surrounded her like a tornado.  
Once it dispersed, Dark and Link uncovered their eyes and looked to Adina. Her head was down and crystal-like wings came out from her back.  
"Adina?" Link took a step closer.

Something seemed off. Dark felt something coming from Adina.  
"Link! Wait. She's not..." he trailed off.  
Link looked to Dark and back to Adina.  
A dark purple aura surrounded her. Was this her power?  
Slowly, Adina lifted her head. Her eyes were a dull green. It had almost looked like she wasn't there at all.  
"Adina..." Dark glared, shaking slightly.

The old man stood from his chair and looked out his window. Schimdt looked up.  
"I forgot to tell the young lad that he'd be tested to see if he was worthy of her power..."  
He smiled. "I'm sure he'll find out after the spell is done."

**-**  
_**Thank you NekoKitty13 and GrandShadowSeal for your kind words. You've motivated me for my writing! Yay! **_  
_**Next chapter, we get to see Adina finally in action!**_  
_**There will also be some more romance in future chapters since this is a romance story. Heh. **_


	8. Trial

Adina was completely still. Link and Dark stayed on guard watching her. Link gripped the handle of his sword tightly. He was worn out from the last fight. If Adina were to fight them, they'd be at a disadvantage.  
Dark called her name again and again, but it was like she couldn't even hear him. He growled. Did he chant the spell wrong?  
Adina's legs began to move and walk toward the two. Link stepped back, he didn't want to fight her. Dark didn't move. He didn't want to fight her either, but what choice did he have? Dark turned his head to Link. He was more worn out than Dark, only because he fought that swordsman first and by himself for awhile, so he suffered more damage. Dark thought how useless Link would have been.  
"Link. Stay out of it." Dark told him.  
Link looked to him. "W-What? But-"  
"Look. This is my battle. Anyway... You're useless right now. This was a suprise attack right? I bet you didn't even have enough time to even get any potion to heal you." Dark turned his eyes toward Adina.  
Link looked down, knowing Dark was right. "Alright. Just... Don't kill her."  
"Hmph... You think I would? I still need her."  
Link smiles and nodded to him, stepping back. He leaned against the wall, resting up.  
Dark watched as Adina's movement picked up speed. It wasn't long until she was running toward him. Her speed was incredibily fast that even Dark had a hard time seeing her. Her fist connected with the flat side of Dark's sword. He was shocked. He had bearly been able to block her attack. His hands shook alittle. For a small person, Adina's strength was incredible. She moved her hand, grabbed his sword. The sharp blade peirced at her skin and she bled. She pushed the sword up and used her other hand to punch Dark in the stomach. When her hand came into contact him him, his hands became loose and he lost grip of his sword. Adina threw the sword to the other side of the room and stood there, as if she was waiting.  
Dark held onto his stomach, coughing. He stared at Adina.  
"Hmph..." he stood up straight.  
Dark smirked. "How annoying..." he licked his lips. "... But fun."  
He looked to the side, locating his sword and his eyes trailed back to Adina. Her dull eyes didn't move from Dark. He looked to his sheild and removed it from his arm, letting it slide to the floor. He thought about it's weight. She was fast, so he needed to get rid of it. What he really needed was his sword back. He need to get past her.  
Adina began to move again. Her speed still unimaginable. A violet aura surrounded her hands. Dark was able to dodge her first punch, but it had almost hit his face. A line of blood ran down his cheek. He moved back with every punch she threw until she changed attacks and roundhouse-kicked his side. Dark slid across the floor. Hand-in-hand combat wasn't his best study, but he did know alittle. He knew the sword was his best bet.  
"Tch!" Dark, this time, took the offensive.  
He stood up and ran toward Adina, throwing a punch to her; which had been easily dodged. He technique wasn't as fast as hers, but he kept throwing punches at her. Dark found a small opening in her defense and quickly took advantage of her. This time, he came from below, not to punch at her stomach, but to grab her shirt. He was successful. She was strong, her gave her that, but she was still as light as a feather. He was able to pick her up and toss her across the room. While she was in the air, he dashed toward his sword. Adina landed on her feet and quickly ran toward Dark. A second too late, Dark swung his sword toward Adina and she jumped back.

It had been awhile since Dark had had a good fight. He was a dark being, so of course he had a sense of bloodlust. Fighting excited him. As much as he loved to fight and how fun the battle was, he couldn't bring himself to enjoy this battle and spill her blood. His excuse was because he still needed her, but even then, he'd do what he could to defeat her, even if it was making her bleed. He couldn't even do that. He didn't even want to hurt her. He didn't want to see her blood. Why was that? He loved to lick the blood of his victims off of his blade.  
Dark found this completely odd about himself, because as much as he wanted to kill someone other than monsters, he couldn't hurt her.  
"Damn it..." Dark lowered his blade and looked down.  
Adina ran toward him, stretching out her fingers. She used her hand like a blade. She planned to peirce it through his chest.  
Her attack was blocked by a sword. Dark looked up to see Link defending him. Link peeked back at him.  
"Dark! What are you doing just standing there!?" he asked and pushed Adina back.  
Link panted softly. "In order to help her, you have to defeat her. Unless you have a better plan. But, giving up isn't an option. Don't lower your sword. I..."  
Link's voice lowered. "I don't want to fight her either... I care about her."  
Link turned his head to Dark and smiled. "You can't fight her for that reason, huh?"  
Dark was taken back by that question. He glared at Link.  
"What? No!" he quickly denied, his cheeks burning red. "I just... need her for her power. That's all."  
Link stepped back, seeing as Dark was ready to fight again.  
Dark rose his sword and pointed it to Adina. "Okay. Let's go!"  
Dark and Adina ran toward each other. She was faster than the swings of his blade. Dark, this time, didn't hold back. Before, he was afraid to hurt her, but he decided to protect her and in order to do that, he needed to fight her with his entire being.  
Adina swung her hand across the side of head, but Dark ducked and it caught on his hat instead, causing it to fall off of his head. From below, Dark swung his blade scross Adina's stomach. His first hit in. Adina's stomach had a line of blood trailing down. It was the first time Dark had seen her blood. It was intoxicating. He wanted more, but he also didn't want to kill her. His red eyes glew brightly at the sight and at this time, he couldn't stop himself. His bloodlust began to rise. There was alittle bit of Adina's blood on his sword. Dark brought his sword to tongue and licked the blood. This made his blood craze worse. Adina's blood was the best he'd ever tasted. Not only was it the blood of the catalyst, it was also sweet like candy.  
Dark let out a laugh like a crazy man.  
"No... Dark..." Link gripped his sword. "Dark! Stop! Don't let your darkness overcome you! You'll kill her!"  
When Dark was in this state, the words said to him were blacked out. He was also stronger and faster as well.

While in this state, Dark had hurt Adina a number of times. She had cuts over her body and a deep wound to her shoulder. Dark also shared his side of cuts and bruises. He grinned, showing his fangs.  
Again, they clashed with one another. The battle was feirce and now that Dark was in this state, he had the advantage. The battle was soon to end.  
Dark had Adina face down on the ground. He picked her head up by her hair. Alittle of Dark's sanity must have kicked in, because he didn't kill her. Be had just brought his fangs and buried it deep into her shoulder. He held her body close to his.  
Adina's catalystic power began to disperse. A small smile came over her lips and her eyes closed. Her body was limp. She had passed out. Dark removed his mouth and kept hold of her tightly.  
Link walked over to the both of them.  
"You both..." he whispered.

Dark woke up, completely bandaged. He looked to his right. The sun was out, shining through a window. Where was he?  
Then, a little girl walked into the room.  
"You're awake mister!" the girl said happily.  
She looked about six years of age, short red hair and bright blue eyes.  
"Where am I...?" he asked.  
"You're in Kakariko Village. Mister Link brought you and another girl here." she explained.  
"Adina..! Where is she?!" Dark shot up, his body stinging.  
"Ah. She's in the next room, but you should focus on getting your wounds healed first. Your wounds arn't as bad hers though. She had a huge one on her shoulder."  
Dark's eyes widened. He didn't realize he had hurt her that bad. He placed his hands over his face.  
"Don't worry. She's okay." Link told him, walking into the room.  
Dark looked over to Link, who's wounds were almost healed.  
"You've been asleep for some days now. She has yet to wake up though. I would suggest staying in bed, but... You'll probably do the oppisite of what I say." Link sighed and turned to walk off, waving to Dark.  
Link was right, Dark stood up despite the stinging pain and walked past the little girl. When he stepped out of the room, he looked left and right.  
"She's in the room to your left, sir." the little girl told him.  
Dark quickly made his way there and walked inside.  
Adina layed in bed, completely bandged up. She wasn't awake yet. Would she make it? He was worried. He didn't mean to hurt her like that.  
"Damn it... I wasn't able to help her at all..." Dark muttered to himself.  
He sat in a chair next to the bed and kept hold of her hand. He did this everyday until she would wake up.

Days passed while they stayed in Kakariko. It turned out that the people who got out of Brogan had escaped to Kakariko and that was why Link took them there. Plus, the best doctor in Hyrule lived there. Dark took a small walk around the village once his wounds were healed enough for him to walk without pain. He stopped by the shop and gathered up materials for his and Adina's next journey. He didn't want to stay out too long. He had the need to stay by Adina's side every minute of the day. He didn't know why. It was most likely guilt? He couldn't figure it out himself.  
Dark entered Adina's room.  
He halted quickly. "What are you doing here?"  
An old man turned to Dark. "It seems you passed."  
Schimdt smiled toward Dark.  
"Passed what?"  
"The Catalyst's Trial." he looked back to Adina. "When you released her power, the catalyst, itself, put you on a trial. You had to win a battle against it. This is Adina's true power, though it's not complete. Next time she take on that form, she should have control. How did you win?"  
Dark sat at Adina's bedside again and stared at her. "I don't remember. I was driven crazy by blood."  
"I see..." he looked to Dark. "I guess it didn't matter out you won as long as you were strong enough to. Ho ho ho!"  
The old man slowly made his way to the door. "The next step, the Temple of Time, won't be easy. Especially for you. Will you be able to take everything from her? It is said that once you take her power, she'll became a regular human girl, but that's only part of it."  
"What are you talking about, old man?" Dark looked back to him.  
"There's a chance that she could die as well."  
Dark's eyes widened. Adina die? He turned his gaze to her. The old man walked out smiling.

The moon had risen and Dark, once again, fell asleep at Adina's bedside.  
Adina's hands twitched and her eyes opened slowly. Her eyes faced he ceiling and then she turned her eyes to her left, then her head followed. She stared at Dark.  
When she began to rise out of bed, she fell back in pain.  
"Ah...!" she shook alittle.  
Dark's eyes opened and he looked to Adina.  
"You're awake!" he stared at her, gripping her hand tightly.  
"Dark..." Adina's voice was soft.  
She smiled to him.  
Dark moved closer to her and held her sofly. Adina moved her her right hand around him and held him tightly with it.  
"Adina..." he layed her down. "I'm sorry. I didn't know what came over me."  
"It's okay... Most of my wounds are already gone. I only feel two pains." she smiled lightly.  
"What? All bu two are healed? Already?" he said.  
He looked down. It must have been the catalyst power. That means the wound on her shoulder would heal too. It was deeper so it took longer.  
Dark looked back up to see Adina unbandaging herself.  
"W-What are you doing!?" he asked, blushing.  
Underneath her bandages was her bare skin. Dark quickly turned around. Adina looked at wounds that were left to heal. The wound on her arm and a bite mark on her other shoulder. She stared at that one for awhile and looked to Dark. She smiled softly and placed her hand over it.  
"Oh... Make that only one wound left. You got my shoulder pretty bad."  
She covered her body with a blanket.  
"Sorry..." Dark whispered.  
"Dark. Turn. I need you to rewrap this. I covered up."  
Dark looked to Adina, slightly red. He began to rewrap her shoulder. "There you go."  
Dark looked to Adina, who was facing him.  
"What's that?" Dark asked, catching sight of the bite mark he had left. "Did I..."  
Adina smiled. "I won't let this one heal..."  
Dark blushed more and looked away. "I didn't... mean to bite you..."  
"It's okay... I don't mind it." she smiled widely. "I like it there..."  
Adina's cheeks flushed alittle.  
And awkward scilence overcame the room but was suddenly broken once Link walked in. "What...? Adina you're awake!" he smiled happily.  
"Link!" she shared the same smile.  
"I came here to change your bandages for tonight. But it looks like it's already been done?"  
"Yes. I had Dark do it."  
Link looked to Dark and gave him a smirk. Dark glared at him, still red. He knew what that secret smile was about.  
Adina, Link, and Dark sat around and had a long chat. Dark, of course, was the quietest one. He didn't speak until spoken too. When Link hugged on Adina, Dark quickly stepped in and took Adina into his own arms, being protective.  
"Wow, Dark. Protective of your woman, huh?" Link teased.  
"That's ri-" Dark cut his sentence short and pushed Adina back to Link. "Hug him if you want."  
Link laughed at Dark's failed attempt to hide his emotions.

Unfortunately, Adina's body didn't let her keep the bite mark Dark left her. She was completely healed. Once Dark and Adina were ready, they set out. They said their goodbyes and trotted off on Dark's horse.  
"You decided not to wear your hat anymore?" Adina asked him.  
"No... It gets in the way..." he said, almost in a whisper.  
Adina smiled, it looked better that way. She layed her head against Dark's back , having her arms around his waist, and closed her eyes.  
They rode off into the sunrisen sky of orange, red, and yellow.


	9. Developing Hearts

**This chapter and the next 2 chapters will be the "romance" bit. It needs to develop somehow, right? Well... These 3 chapters will focus on their romance. Just so you guys have a heads up when you read this.**

The sun was high on it's horse, setting it's light upon the land of Hyrule. The greenery shined brightly and gleamed with the morning dew. The Temple of Time wasn't far from Kakariko; only a day away. They would have made it within the day if they sprinted with the horse, but Dark took it easy for Adina's sake. Although she had told him she was alright, he disregarded her.  
Adina pouted and a thought came to her mind. She didn't want to hurry up to the temple right away, so she asked Dark to take her to visit the Zora tribe. Dark obviously didn't want to, but he thought back to what grandpa Schimdt had said. There was a chance Adina could die. Dark obviously cared about her, but because of his stubborness, he didn't want to think or admit it.  
He didn't want to rush to the temple on the chance that she could die, so Dark agreed to take her to Zora's Domain Located to the north. He turned his horse to his left and began down another trail that would lead them to Zora's River. Dark remained silent for the ride. Adina wanted to talk to him, but she didn't know what to say to him. Her eyes trailed up to the blue sky. The white puffs moved slowly. Adina smiled upon noticing a shape in the clouds.  
"Dark! Look!" she pointed to the sky. "That cloud is shaped like a horse."  
Dark slightly looked back to her and then looked up to the sky. It really did look like a horse; a horse that stood on it's two hind legs. He looked back to the trail again. He was in a deep thought. Adina looked to him and frowned. She often wondered if she was a nuisance to him. She smiled sadly. Of course she was. The only reason they were together was because he needed her, not wanted her. Adina didn't understand why she was feeling that way, but she didn't like it. Her arms that were around Dark's waist, tightened.  
He turned to her. "What's wrong?" he asked.  
"I feel weird..." Adina spoke softly and a bit muffled.  
Dark stopped the horse. "What is it?"  
"It's hard to explain. My chest is hurting... I don't know what it is..."  
Dark jumped off of the horse and grabbed Adina, lifting her off of the horse and placing her in front of him. Her eyes looked to the ground. She found herself unable to look at him. His red eyes continued to stare at her for awhile. He couldn't understand her himself.  
"You don't know what it is? Are you ill?" he asked her.  
"What is... ill?"  
Adina didn't know what it ment to feel sick. As far as anything goes, she had never been sick. Dark sighed to himself.  
"It's like an upset feeling in your body and it makes you feel weak and vunerable."  
Dark had never been sick either, but he had seen many sick folk. Adina did feel uspset, but she didn't feel bodily weak or vunerable.  
She shook her head. "Ah... N-No. Then it's not that. I do feel um... upset. That is..." she looked down, trying to find the words to say. "Do you... find me a bother?"  
Dark still couldn't understand exactly how she was feeling, but her question definately had an answer. "Of course I do. You don't know how to fight, you talk too much, you don't know anything, and you're clingy."  
Upon seeing the pained look on her face, Dark came to regret saying those words. He is a being, so it was natural for him to say and do cruel things. She looked away and placed his hand on his head.

The road was a quiet and slow one. Not once did Dark look back to check on her. Seeing the expression on her face would make Dark feel even more guilty. He had so much pride that it caused him to not even apologize to her. Of course, he blamed her instead of himself. Telling himself that it was her fault for even asking. Of course he;d give her a mean and blunt answer. It was how he was.  
"Dark..." Adina spoke softly.  
He was caught by surpise. He didn't think she'd talk to him any more, with him being as cold of a person he is. He didn't answer her, instead he just looked forward, listening.  
"I'm sorry..." she simply told him and nothing else.  
"Forget it." he said, growling to himself. "I should be teh one to apologize. I didn't mean the things I said."  
Adina looked up to him and slightly smiled, hugging on him again. Dark's cheeks turned red. It was a good that he wasn't facing her; if he had, he wouldn't have been able to hide his face.

A couple of days passed and they had finally made it to Zora's River. It was sunset, so they had decided to set up camp near the river. Adina took the horse to the edge of the water to drink while Dark went out to catch fish.  
Soon, the fire lit up the black sky. There was no moon shown, so it would have been dark if the fire wasn't going.  
"Why did you want to come here for?" Dark asked her, throwing some wood into the flames.  
"When I was in Brogan, recovering... Link once told me about the differant races in Hyrule and Zoras seemed interesting. I always wanted to see how it was like."  
Dark listened to her explain. He looked at her the entire time, his eyes not once averting. Once she finished, her turned back to the fire.  
"I see..." was all he had said.  
"Dark..." Adina crawled over to him and slid under his arm.  
He turned quickly to her in shock. His cheeks burned.  
"W-What are you doing?!" he yelled out to her.  
"I'm cold..."  
Adina smiled, mostly to herself. Her cheeks also flushed. Dark mumbled before letting himself hold her.  
"This... This feels weird... Why don't you sit in front of me?" Dark told her.  
Adina looked up at him. It was a good idea since her back was currently exposed to cold, having her back against Dark would keep her completely warm. Adina moved and slipped in front of him. She sat on his legs, which were crossed. He placed his arms around her. Dark didn't know what he was doing. He had mixed emotions about what he was doing, but he didn't dislike it at all. Adina leaned against him, feeling warm on all sides now. She didn't understand the feeling she was having either, but she liked it. she had a wide smile on her face while snuggling against Dark's chest. He stared at the back of her head and then closed his eyes.  
it was completely quiet and the only sound there was was the sound of nature itself. The running river, the humming crickets, the song of owls, and the crackling wood in the fire.  
"Dark." Adina looked up at him. "I-" she blinked.  
Dark had fallen asleep, his head hanging. His face was close to hers and it caused her to blush. She stared at him for awhile.  
"He looks peaceful when he sleeps..." she smiled softly and turned around, gently taking hold of his head. "Dark... Let's lay you down..."  
Dark's eyes opened slightly. He was half asleep still; and while Adina was helping him to lie down, he also helped himself. Dark brought her down with him. Adina's heart pounded when she found herself laying on him.  
"Dark..." Adina layed her head on his chest and closed her eyes.  
Dark was already fast asleep and, evetually, she was too.

The sound of a rooster echoed through the sky. Fortunately, Adina woke up first. She was relieved because she had a feeling that Dark would have been mad if he woke up to her lying on him.  
She readied the horse and waited for Dark to wake up. It took abit before he shifted and opened his eyes.  
"Good morning, Dark." Adina smiled to him.  
Dark sat up and stared at her. "Mm..."  
He walked over to the river and washed his face and fixed his hair.  
"Oh... The horse will be staying here..." Dark said, walking to Adina.  
"Really? How come?" she asked, tilting her head.  
Dark pointed to the river and trailed his finger up. "See? The river goes up, horses can't fly, you know. We'll have to walk and climb to get up there."  
Adina nodded and looked to the horse, petting it softly. "Wait here for us, okay?"  
She walked to Dark and they began to make their way up the river. Sooner or later, they'd have to be in the water. Dark didn't care, but he did worry for Adina. The river is cold and there was a slight breeze coming from the southwest. He didn't know weather or not she could get sick, so he stood on the safe side.  
"How do you feel about going into the water... At some point, we'll have to. It's a bit chilly out here too." Dark looked back to Adina, who was close behind him.  
"Water...?" she smiled to him. "Don't you know? I can't swim."  
"What? You can't..." Dark had to calm himself down in order to not hit her across the head. "Looks like I'll have to swim you across water myself..." he placed a hand on the side of his head.  
"Dark! There is a waterfall at the end of the river. Do we climb up?" she asked him.  
He looked up and stood silent for awhile before turning back to Adina.  
"No... The first entrance in behind the waterfall..." he explained to her. "We have to go through a cavem which is completely dark... Then we have to go through a water tunnel. That means we have to swim to get to the other side. I also have to carry you through it too..."  
"Really? It's a long way to Zora's Domain..." she sighed.  
"I've been alive for centuries... Everything changes... Zora's Domain didn't used to be hidden like it was. But something happened and they had to find a new home. Hylians drove them to be this way. It's sad really..." Dark explained to her continuing to walk on the side of the river.  
Adina was curious as to what exactly happened, but she pressed it no further.

Dark and Adina slid behind the waterfall and into the dim entrance. Dark was able to see in the dark, but Adina could not. He advised her to keep close and hold onto him; and so she did. The sound that was heard were the taps of their feet on the ground and screeching sound of bats that laid further into the cave. Adina held onto Dark's hand tightly. She wanted to talk to him, but he had also advised her not to. The creatures who lurk in the dark had relied on sound to find their prey. For now, the taps of their feet didn't bother the bats, but if they were to talk out loud, they'd be irritated. Dark hated being surrounded by Keese. He didn't fear bats; they were part of the darkness like himself; he was just annoyed easily when he was surrounded by people or monsters.  
Dark stopped and looked down to Adina. He gripped her hand tightly.  
"Wait right here... Don't move an inch..." he whispered.  
"Dark... I'm scared..." she held his hand even tighter, not wanting to let go.  
"We're in enemy territory now... I need to fight them... But you can't see, so it's not safe. Just stay back here where it's safe, alright?"  
She nodded, bring his hand up to her mouth and pressing her lips on the back of his hand. Dark watched her, his face burning up. Adina had ment it as 'be safe', but Dark felt differantly about it and removed his hand from her own.  
"I'll be back..." stepped back, keeping an eye on her before running off further into the tunnel.

Adina kept her hands against her chest, her eyes looking down into the darkness. She felt useless. She wasn't couldn't see and she couldn't help fight beside Dark. She closed her eyes and slowly sat down on the cold ground. It felt like hours had past, but in reality, only fifteen minutes had gone by. She felt that that was too long and stood up. She slowly moved to the side until she hit the cavern wall and followed it. She couldn't wait any longer. She was scared for Dark's well-being. Was he hurt? She knew that he had told her to stay behind, but she couldn't any longer. Using the wall as a guide, she slowly walked the path. Ahead and unknown to her, there were two paths to get further into the cave. Since she was unaware, Adina took the left path since she was using the wall on her left. She couldn't hear or see a thing and she grew scared. Maybe she should have stayed where she was before. It was too late now for she was too deep into the dark cave.

Dark panted heavily, defeating all of the Keese. Further in, he even discovered Deku Baba, ChuChu, and even a couple of LikeLikes. Of course, he defeated every single one of them so that he and Adina could move forward. Dark made his way back to Adina. He came out of the right pathway. He stopped at the location where he had left Adina. His eyes widened upon noticing that she had gone missing. For a second, his heart stopped. He wondered if someone had taken her. He shook his head and cleared his mind. He could still sence her energy further inside the cave.  
"Adina... I told you to stay put!" he spoke to himself and ran foward.  
Since he came from the right pathway and didn't see her, he knew that she took the left path. He had to quickly make it to her. There were also monsters down that path.

Adina turned her head slightly. She could hear the taps of running feet. She stopped walking. She knew it was Dark. He was closing in her location. She leaned against the wall and smiled. From afar, she could hear her name being called by him and it drew closer and closer each time. She finally called out to him in return. Dark stopped running once he reached her. He panted heavily. He was directly in front of her. Adina smiled.  
"Dark-"  
Her sentence was cut off by a deep pain in her cheek. Dark had slapped her. She placed her hand over her cheek and teared up, but Dark right away embraced her.  
"I told you to stay still... Why didn't you listen? I was worried..." he admitted.  
Adina was in shock for awhile and her eyes softened. She placed her arms around him and closed her eyes.  
"Dark... I'm sorry..." she told him.  
He pulled her back and looked at her. "Adina... I..."  
His eyes widened and he pushed her to the side. Right then, an arrow peirced the top of his right chest. He grunted.  
"Darkm what's wrong?" she asked.  
"M-Monsters..." he removed the arrow from his shoulder and took her hand, beginning to run out of the left tunnel and toward the right.  
He didn't stop once until they reached a bit of light. The path that led to the to the underwater tunnel had a glow within it, so they were able to see around them as long as they stayed near the water. Dark leaned against the wall, holding his shoulder, starting to sweat.  
"Damn... A... A poisoned arrow..."  
"Dark!" Adina covered her mouth.

She blamed herself. If she wouldn't have left, he wouldn't have gotten hurt. Her feelings began to overflow and she cried. What could she do to help him? She wanted to help Dark, but she also felt that she would just make it worse for him. He looked like he was in pain. She had to do something. Anything. He had saved her plenty of times, and now she wanted to save him.


	10. Illuminated Emotion

Adina, still in complete shock as to what to do, slid to her knees. She looked down, apologizing over and over again in a whisper. She had a feeling he was going to leave her alone and she cried. Dark panted heavily, grunting while trying to speak to her.  
"A-Adina... Come here..." he managed to say.  
Adina looked up and crawled over to him. "What do you want me to do? I'll do it, Dark. Just say it..."  
He pulled up the sleeve of his tunic and undershirt, then pulled her closer to him.  
"I... I need you to suck the poison out... Quickly or it'll spread throughout my body... But... Don't swallow it. Spit it out..."  
He released her, laying his head back against the wall. Adina looked to the wound. It was swelling. She nodded and pressed her lips against the wound and began to suck out the poison. She made sure not to swallow it; and spit it out onto the floor beside her. The taste of poison and blood was bitter, but she didn't mind. She had to save him. She worked fast, even when Dark's grunts of pain rang in her ear, she didn't stop.  
Slowly, but surely, Dark could feel the poison slipping from his body. His red eyes traveled toward Adina. He stared at her lips that were pressing against his skin.  
Finally, Dark stopped her by putting his hand on her head and gently pulling her away. She stared at him with woeful eyes. That was a look that Dark didn't like on her. He moved his hand to her cheek.  
"Don't worry... It's fine now... You've relieved the poison. You can... Can smile now." Dark stared at her in wait.  
Adina closed her eyes and then opened them, giving Dark a light, but shaky, smile.  
"That's it." he praised and looked to the glowing water. "N-Now. The water... I want you to wash your mouth twice. Spit it out on the ground... Then drink the water. You need to clean your mouth."  
Adina nodded, crawling to the water sipping it and spitting it onto the ground. She repeated it once more and the drank from the water. The water tasted pure. Most of the bitterness that was in her mouth was gone, but not completely. Dark called her back over and reached back into a pouch, pulling out a wrapped treat. He tossed it to her and Adina caught it within her hands.  
"I... I bought this in the last town we were in. It's called candy. It'll take out the rest of that bitter taste in your mouth..." Dark spoke, closing his eyes and breathing fast, short breaths.  
Adina removed the candy from it's wrapped and threw the sweetness into her mouth. Sucking on the candy, it tasted good, but strange to her. It was strong, minty.  
"Thank you..." Adina spoke softly.  
"Did... Did any of the monsters follow us...?" Dark asked her.  
Adina closed her eyes. She didn't sense any monsters heading toward them. They surely must have gotten lost while chasing them. Adina shook her head.  
"I don't sense them near us."  
"Okay... Then let's rest here for a bit... It takes awhile for my wounds to close..."  
Dark had to breath between sentences. The wound, with the poison, weakened him. It took awhile for Dark to recover. Adina watched over him. Dark's wound had already had begun to close. His breathing also, eventually, returned to normal. When Dark found it good enough, he stood up and walked over to the water.  
"The wound is healed enough. Let's get going." Dark told Adina, stretching his hand out to her.  
Before taking his hand, she looked down with eyes of guilt.  
"I'm sorry... If I didn't suggest we come here, you wouldn't-"  
Dark placed a hand on her cheek and his thumb ran across her mouth. Her sentence was cut off by his touch. His hand was cold, but it somehow felt warm to her. Dark stared at her for awhile. The lit water before them made Adina's green eyes shine like a bright star. It was like he was seeing a beautiful lake being reflected in them. He loved her. Realizing this, his eyes widened and he turned away from her. He had no idea what he was thinking. He repeated to himself that it wasn't right and kept reminding himself of his mission.  
"Let's go." he said in a low cold tone.

Dark held Adina close to him. The tunnel of water was long and there were rarely any places to raise up and breath from. Dark had told Adina that since she couldn't swim, that he'd take her, but she'd have to help him by kicking her feet like he was doing. Whenever he noticed that her breath was running out, he would find the closest place to raise up and let her breath. His lungs were stronger than hers, so he could last quite awhile under water. Once ready, they headed under again. It seemed like a long trip, but they had finally made it to the end of the tunnel. Dark lifted Adina out of the water and onto dry land. He followed after her. He removed his tunic and wringed out the water and he suggest she do the same. Dark kept his back to her while she undressed and wringed out her clothes as well. There was no fire to dry them off, so they had to rely on air drying. They had to wear damp clothing, which was better than having clothes dripping wet.  
Once their clothes were on, Dark led Adina down a tunnel lit by torches.  
"We're almost there." he mentioned.  
Adina smiled widely. She couldn't wait to see the Zora people.  
"We look like Hylians... So they'll most likely treat us badly." Dark looked up to the cave ceiling.  
He slowly turned his eyes to Adina, who was looking to the ground. Her eyes were sad. Not for herself, but for the Zoras. She didn't want the Zoras to hate them. Dark read the expression on her face and as much as he didn't want to, he gave her some encouraging words.  
"Don't worry. I'm sure if we talk to them, they'll understand. This was a couple of centuries back anyway. They can't be mad forever." Dark stared blankly to Adina.  
She looked up at him. "R-Really? You think if we talk to them, they'll like us?"  
Dark wasn't too sure if they would, but he wanted to cheer her up.  
"Of course. Just leave the explaining to me. I'm sure it'll be fine."  
Adina's frown had turned into a wide smile. To Dark's surprise, Adina jumped at him with a hug; mostly to thank him. She was really happy. Dark didn't know what to do; weather to embrace her or push her away. He's hugged her before, so it shouldn't have been a problem, right? That's what he thought, but it really was different, now that, in his mind, he admitted how he felt about her. He didn't embrace her nor push her away. He simply lowered his arms and watched as Adina hugged him tightly with that wide smile of hers. He wondered, at the moment, how did she feel about him? Probably nothing. She was oblivious to so many things, including the feeling of love. Dark had been in the world longer than her, never fell in love, but knew what love was, thus, he was able to show that emotion. If he had told her, would she understand him?  
"Adina..." Dark spoke softly and looked away.  
She peeked up at him. Dark was shy, but she had thought that the hug she had given him, annoyed him. Adina let go of him quickly.  
"I'm sorry. I'm slowing us down." she giggled and pointed forward. "Let's go, Dark."  
He nodded.  
"Yeah..."

It wasn't long until they reached the true entrance to Zora's Domain. Inside the cave was a gigantic lake with a huge waterfall. The water sparkled as if it were reflecting off the rays of the sun. Adina was caught in awe. Zora's Domain was as wonderful as she dreamed it would be. The smell of fresh water and the sound of the waterfall were all very beautiful.  
Walking further into the domain, the Zora people stared at them curiously and cautiously. Dark looked left to right, watching them as well. He really didn't want to start a fight with any of them, but if he had to, he would.  
"Adina. We should visit the King here. We need permission to stay." Dark suggested.  
Adina nodded in agreement. She was a peaceful person; and so, they decided to pay the royal Zora a visit.  
Carrying Adina on his back, Dark slowly climbed up the water fall. There were some latters to lead the way up, but not all the way. At some points, Dark had to jump from one ledge to another. Adina, since she couldn't use her power well enough yet, couldn't fly her way up and her physical skills were weak, so jumping was out of the question.  
Dark gasped for air once they had reached the top of the waterfall. Adina apologized to him, of course, but, secretly, he didn't really mind it.  
The Zora knights were mostly guarding the King and the throne. Adina and Dark had been halted by the guards and they had asked the two what business they wanted with the king.  
"We simply wish to speak to him." Dark spoke out, his eyes facing the Zora king.  
"We mean no harm, please..." Adina looked to the knights with pleading eyes.  
They refused, but the king had stepped in.  
"I feel a goodness in this girl's heart." the Zora king spoke. "Let them through. I will speak with them."  
Under the orders of the king, the guards let Dark and Adina through. They stepped in front of the king and simply bowed their heads in respect for his royalty.  
"King Zora." Dark began. "I know you have come to despise the Hylians, but believe us when I say that we mean no harm to you or your people. We simply wish to stay here for a couple of days. This is nothing but a mere visit."  
The king sat silently after Dark had spoke. It took some time to get a response from the Zora king. After awhile, he stood to his feet and spoke to them.  
"You look familiar to me." he spoke to Dark. "You remind me of the green hero who saved my people from the water dragon that had thrived in our lake."  
Dark closed his eyes, placing a hand on his hip. "You could say me and Link are related..."  
The king looked to Adina. "Who are you, young girl?"  
"My name is Adina, sire." Adina answered with another bow to him. "I'm traveling with Da-"  
"I'm her knight, sir." Dark lied.  
He had to lie to get themselves a better reputation with the king. Adina looked to Dark and then the king. He had a smile on his face. It was a smile of peace.  
"You may stay here. I have a gut feeling that I can trust you both."  
Adina smiled widely. "Oh, thank you, sire! I swear we'll be on our best behavior!"  
The Zora king nodded and let them roam the domain as they pleased.

Adina and Dark took off their shoes and rolled up their pants. Slowly, they placed their feet into the water of the lake below the waterfall. Though they were accepted into the domain, the Zora people had still given them the look they had before. To Adina, it made her feel un-welcomed and sad. Dark simply ignored it. He wanted to enjoy the time he had with Adina, but she didn't look happy. He was annoyed and, at the same time, worried about her. How was he supposed to make her happy? Dark looked to water. Of course, he casted no reflection. The feeling of not being able to see himself in objects that reflect made him feel unreal.  
Adina turned her head to Dark, noticing that he was staring into the water. She figured he was lost in thought. It worried her, especically when he made a disgusted face. He was bothered by it, but he didn't want to tell Adina.  
She took his hand into her own, holding it firmly.  
"Dark, what's-" Adina stopped in mid sentence.  
Her eyes had gone wide.  
"What is it?" Dark asked her, curious from the look on her face.  
"M-Monsters... Their getting closer to the domain." she quickly stood up. "We have to go warn the king!"  
Dark nodded and they quickly made their way up the waterfall.  
Reaching destination, Dark panted before the king.  
"Sire!" Adina looked at him in a state of panic. "There are monsters approaching the domain!"  
"What?" he questioned. "Monsters? How would they get here? Are you sure they approach?"  
"It's as she says, sir" Dark defended, now being able to sense them drawing near. "This girl, Adina. you may not believe it, but she's the Catalyst. She can sense evil."  
"You mean the Catalyst made by the Goddesses?" the King stood up and rose his hand out. "If this is true, then we must prepare for battle."  
The Zora race were a kind people, but over the centuries, they had developed a war-like sense. They knew the world was in chaos, so they had to defend themselves.  
The king ordered the Zora guards into battle positions toward the entrance. The all the Zora who could not fight, they stood atop the waterfall, away from where the battle was going to take place. Dark placed his hands on Adina's shoulder and faced her.  
"I want you to stay here, alright?" he ordered.  
"W-What are you going to do?" Adina knew the answer, but she feared it.  
"I'm going to fight off this monsters and defend this place."  
Adina's eyes widened. "Dark..."  
"Don't worry about me... I'm just showing off to you." he smirked and ran off of the cliff and dove into the lake below.  
Show off? Adina didn't quite understand what he ment. She was sad he was going into battle. He could get hurt, but she was also happy that he'd defend the Zora race. Adina placed her hands together and stared down below, praying to the Goddesses for their safety.

Dark took out his shield and sword. The monsters drew nearer. Their growls were close enough for all the other Zora to hear. Everyone stood by. Some of the Zora were shaky. They hadn't been in battle for many many years; and some were even new to battle. But, even though they had fear, no one ran to hide. They had to defend their only home.  
Dark clenched his sword. The monsters that lurked in the lit tunnels had finally made their arrival. A horde of Stalfos and goblins, who's swords and arrows were dowsed in poison; much like the arrow that pierced Dark before. Behind the horde was an even larger demon, but no ordinary one either. It crashed inside of the domain. It was a dark beast. It had to have been Ganondorf, for it looked like the beasts that had been chasing Adina, except in a larger size.

The dark beast screeched out a battle cry and the horde of monsters marched on into the domain. The Zora warriors held out their spears and the battle had begun.

* * *

_**Hey everyone! Sorry for the huge wait. I pose up another fic, so this one was on hold for abit. But~ I put the other one on hold so I could work on this one. I hope you guys like it and thank you for the support!**_


	11. For Tranquility

_**So... I read my reviews and I changed up my way of writing. Is this how you wanted it Keyblader99? Who else likes it like this? Or do you like it the way I had it formatted before? It's up to you to decide! Hope you guys enjoy this new chapter and thank you for the support! Love you guys. **_

* * *

Dark knew he needed to get rid of the arrows first, they were dangerous and had a longer range in battle. Dark was faster at running than the goblins, but Zora's Domain was mostly water than land; it was hard to move around like he wanted to. The goblins and Stalfos took up most of the land and the giant beast was able to stand in the water without any problems. It was going to be hard to take down all of the monsters with just the little army of Zora. The good part was, the Zora were fast swimmers, so they could avoid the Stalfos, who couldn't swim, and the arrows of the goblins. This left Dark to take care of the land dwellers. Of course, he wasn't completely alone. There were few Zora who fought on the land beside him.

As the goblins shot their arrows, Dark used his shield to defend himself. Of course he wouldn't be able to help all the Zora warriors but he did his best. One by one, Dark took out the goblins. Of course, the trouble with the Stalfos got in the way. He couldn't afford to get hit and poisoned again. When an opening came up, he took it, sending killing blows to the Stalfos.

Some of the arrows from the goblins had gone past Dark and hit a couple of Zora. if not a fatal blow, then a death from poison if not hurriedly treated. But, they had no medical aids and with the battle at a riot, no one was there to save them from the poison that would spread into their bodies.

Adina didn't want to just stand there and watch but what choice did she have? She didn't know how to control the power she had. She had to watch as a Zora, one by one, get slain by an arrow or sword. Even though Dark was doing his best to slay the monsters, along with other Zora, but it just wasn't enough. Dark even helped out the Zora, not just physically, but strategicly as well. It was like a battle formation.

"I need to go down there to help him..." Adina spoke softly to herself.

"If you need to go, go." King Zora spoke to her. "If you are indeed the Catalyst, then you have the power to do so."

"But, I... I don't know how to control it."

Adina's eyes trailed to the ground and she closed them. The sound of rushing water and the clinging swords and spears of battle was all she could hear. In the moment of thought, she heard a voice of agony from a Zora. Her eyes shot open and she looked to the battle in worry. Many Zora had fallen. She looked back to the King and other Zora civilian.

"I can't... control it, but..." Adina looked to the King with eyes of determination and then turned toward the battle. "... I'm still willing to save you all. I don't want anyone else to die!"

With that said, she jumped from the edge of the cliff. She yelled out Dark's name before landing into the water below. He turned when he had heard her voice.

"Adina!?" he ran toward the water. "Damn woman!"

Dark dove into the water to grab her and pull her out. He brought her to land and quickly held his shield over them.

"What's wrong with you?! I told you stay up there where it's safe." Dark yelled.

Adina shook her head to him, bringing a hand to her chest.

"No. I want to help fight, Dark. The Zora are dying one by one. Look at them. Dark..."

Adina stood up and ran into the battlefield. Dark ran after her, but lost her in the crowd of blood. She ran through the last few goblins and looked to the large dark beast. She glared up at it. From afar, Dark could see Adina confronting the monster. His eyes widened. What if he had took her away? What if she were to die? No. He couldn't let that happen.

Adina held out her arms. "Do not hurt anymore Zora!" he yelled out.

"Adina! No!" Dark pushed through the Stalfos and Zora who were fighting to get to her.

The Zora king watched Dark and Adina from above. "That girl... She's willing to go into battle to just save us?" he smiled.

The large beast and looked up toward the king. It opened it's mouth, powering up a large blast. Adina had noticed where it was aimed at. The king was in danger. But, what could she do? She was scared.

"Dark! The king!" she yelled out.

Dark looked to the beast. She was right, the blast was aiming toward the king; and not just them, the Zora civilians were also in danger. Dark cursed to himself and and turned back, jumping up as soon as the wave of energy left the monster's mouth. He stood in the way of the blast, using his shield as a defence. Once the blast hit Dark's Shield, He was pushed back. The king and the other Zora moved away to the side. His shield wasn't enough to repel the attack. Dark's only defence shattered and the beast's attack hit him. Dark's scream of pain caused Adina to feel her own pain. She felt a sharpness in her landed into his knees and flat onto the ground.

Adina's heart sank. She felt that she had lost him. She couldn't sense him anymore. He was either dead or on the brink of it. She looked to the ground, her eyes darkend by grief.

The beast let out a roar and looked to it's remaining subordnates and then the Zora and Adina. It knew Adina was Catalyst and it was exactly what it came to Zora's Domain for. Adina was the prize.

The rest of the live Zora pulled back, feeling the touch of defeat. The monsters had stopped their attack for now. Looking back at their fallen comrades, they felt they were also dead.

"It's time to come with me now." the dark beast said, it's voice booming throughout the domain.

Just then, Adina lifted her head. Her green eyes shined like a star. Her sad and furious heart triggered her power. A purple aura surrounded her body and her crystal-like wings grew out of her back. She lifted up into the air and then onto the water, which rippled at the touch of her feet.

The beast, amazed by her power, felt the taste of fear; and with a roar, ordered the goblins to shoot their arrows at her. Adina looked to then and with a raise of a hand, the arrows backfired, causing the death of the goblins instead. She rose her hand up and balls of purple energy formed in her hand. She shot them toward the Stalfos. The blast was incredibly fast that it destroyed them within seconds. All that was left was the huge beast. It receded, but Adina already had it in her range.

A flash of light. No one was able to see through it. When everyone opened their eyes, the beast was gone. Adina had destroyed it, leaving no mercy for it. Adina's wings shattered like that of glass, the aura around her dispersed, and her eyes returned to normal. Worn out, she fell into the water.

- o -

Adina felt warm and heard the sound of crackling wood. Though the Zora needed no such thing, they had built a fire for Adina and Dark, who had bearly lived but survived thanks to the aid of the Zora.

Adina had awoken from her slumber and looked around.

"You're awake."

Adina recognized that voice to be that of the Zora king.

"You've slept for quite some hours." he told her. "You really are the Catalyst. I must thank the both of you for protecting and saving my people. Though many have fallen, we have the rest of us to keep on living for them. You have gained all of our trust..."

All of the Zora bowed to them. Dark was awake himself, but he kept his eyes closed. So he was also able to hear the praise they had given them. He was completely weak. Travelling in the condition he was in would be difficult. It'd take him two days to recover from the wound, which was quiet fast. If it were a regular Hylian, they would have died or if they managed to survive, it'd take over a month of recovery and it would have left scars no doubt.

It wasn't til late night, when everyone was asleep, that Dark sat up. He grunted from the pain. He felt like his entire body was torn. The wounds were not as bad as they were. His automatic healing abilities had already begun to work. His tunic was removed from him and his body was banaged up to his neck and his forehead was also bandaged.

Slowly, he rose up and walked to the egde of the cliff and sat down staring out into the lake below. Though they were still inside of a cave, there was a small light that beamed down from the ceiling of the domain; and it hit the water just right. It was a beautiful sight.

"Dark...?"

Dark turned his head, seeing Adina sitting up and rubbing her eyes.

"Did I wake you...?" he whispered, making sure not to wake up any of the Zora.

Adina shook her head and sleepishly walked over and sat next to him. She looked down to her hands with were twidling with one another. She wanted to talk to him, but didn't know how to begin. Dark kept his eyes to the water. In his mind, he repeated to himself that he was a failure.

"Dark... Thank you." without knowing what to say, Adina knew she had to thank him.

"For what?" Dark asked her, his red eyes travelling from the lake to Adina.

"Everything. You saved me alot and on top of that... You saved these Zora." she gave him a smile.

"You saved them. I did nothing. I was useless in that battle." Dark growled to himself, trying his best to control his anger. "That single hit from that monster and I was out."

"That's not true!" Adina stated. "Don't you realize what you've done? You saved these people. If you were not here... They'd be dead. You saved the king and the people without their leader feel like hope is dead. You gave them that hope and trust back..."

Dark stared at Adina. His eyes were slightly wide by surprise of her words.

"You know... I was relieved... I thought you had died, Dark." Adina's eyes teared up. "Right now, you're alive and... and I'm so happy. This strange feeling in my chest..."

Adina looked down, placing a hand over her heart. She closed her eyes. Dark had a look of passion in his eyes. He moved a hand toward her cheek and layed it against her soft skin.

"Adina..." he spoke softly.

Adina rose her head and looked to Dark. He was close to her. Adina's cheeks turned red and her heartbeat rose. Adina couldn't feel his hand beneath the bandages, but she did feel the warmth. Dark's thumb ran across her lips. Adina loved his gentle touch and closed her eyes. Staring at her for awhile, Dark leaned in and pressed his lips against her own. Adina didn't push away because, to her, it felt right.

After the break of their first kiss, they held each other as the night went by.


	12. His Decision

A couple of days had passed and it was time for Dark and Adina to, once again, hit the road. They thanked the Zora king and his people for the hospitality and made their way through the dark tunnel; this time without trouble. The horse they had left at the river was still there, grazing and drinking. Adina ran to the horse and petted on it's back. She smiled widely and turned to Dark, who blushed and quickly looked away.

He was completely embarrassed by the kiss. Since then, he had hardly spoken to her and always looked away from her. Was he avoiding her? It had made Adina sad. She looked down and back to the horse.

Dark looked back to her once Adina's eyes left him. He rubbed his head. He didn't know how to react to her now. He walked over to Adina. And picked her up by her waist and planted her onto the horse. She watched as he sat behind her. Dark grabbed the reins and gave out a 'hya!'. The horse began to gallop beside the river.

Adina had never sat in the front before and wondered why he had done so. She peered up at him, but he had just stared at the road ahead of them. He was lost in complete thought. The scilence was awkward. Adina bit down on her lip and decided to speak to Dark.

"Dark... Are we going to the Temple of Time now?" she asked him to spark up a conversation.

Dark didn't give her a glance. "Yeah..."

Adina didn't know what to say after that. His answer was short and his voice was quiet.

Dark was in deep thought. Did he really want to go through with it? Did he really want to go to the Temple of Time and drain her of everything. He cared for her, he admitted it, but he was also scared of the feeling that he didn't know how to express it to her. He really did want to tell her everything he was feeling, but there was no way he could. Would she understand? Did she even understand that kiss? Dark closed his eyes and then slightly opened them.

She felt his warmth and leaned back closer to him. She felt exactly as he did; she loved him. Though, she didn't know how to explain the feeling she had.

They were at the river's end and back on the trail to the Temple of Time. Dark hoped nothing would stop them this time, but to his dismay, it had. He turned his head at the sound of hooves. A brown horse headed their way. The rider was calling out Dark's name. The rider was none other than Link himself. Dark thought to himself as to why things keep getting in his way. Dark stopped his horse until Link caught up with him.

Link haulted Epona and looked to Dark and Adina.

"I searched for you for awhile." Link said. "Don't go to the Temple of Time."

"Why not?" Dark asked him with a glare.

"While I was in Castle Town, an old man approached me. We talked and he mentioned that Ganondorf was there."

"What? Ganondorf is there?" Dark cursed to him and looked down to Adina.

Adina looked to Dark and then to Link.

"The old man... Was his name Schmidt?" Adina looked to Link curiously.

"How did you know?" he asked.

"He knows about us somehow..." Dark spoke, gripping the reigns of the horse. "Who is that old man anyway?"

Link told Dark to go with him to Castle Town so that they could speak with the old man again. Dark reluctantly followed Link. Both on their horses, they trotted on the dirt road. Dark kept to himself while Link and Adina conversed with one another. Link asked her about how Dark was treating her. Adina told him about the things they had done since the last time they saw one another. When she was about to mention the kiss, Dark slapped his hand onto her mouth.

"He doesn't need to know that." Dark stared at her then turned his head to hide a small flush of his cheeks.

Link looked at them suspiciously. "What are you hiding Dark?"

"Nothing that concerns you."

They both glared at one another, but Adina just giggled.

-o-

A day and a half on the road and the three had finally made it to Castle Town. The sun was already going down and the moon was about to shine its glory.

Walking into town, they headed off to Schmidt's house with Dark leading the way. Link knocked on the door and they waited until the old man opened up.

"Ho ho! What a nice suprise of guests. Come inside." the old man said, opening the door wider for them to step in.

They took a seat on his sofa and the room was silent for awhile. Dark was getting irritated and decided to spark up the conversation.

"Old man! Who exactly are you? How did you come to know about us and Ganondorf?" Dark glared at him, but he seemed unphased.

Clearing his throat, the old man spoke. "I guess I didn't tell you before. I'm not only a mage, but I can see things others can not. Sort of like a fortune teller. I was born, being able to see this world's future. What ever the Catalyst chooses, it could either mean destruction of this world or its salvation. But, being her knight..."

The old man looked to Dark and smiled, speaking again. "I'm sure you'll be able to save what is to come with the Hero of Legend of course." His eyes travelled to Link.

Dark was disgusted by this. Him and Link teaming up again? He's got to be kidding, right? Adina was quite happy though. She loved that her two favorite people would be together with her.

"So what now? Ganondorf is waiting for us at Temple of Time. How did he know?" Link asked Schimdt.

"Anyone of darkness can sence the presence of this girl. He could feel how close she is. She can't control her power, so it leaks. Others can sniff her out. If the Catalyst were able to control it, she could throw them off her scent. But, the other problem is Dark... He's directly connected to the evil king. So he could follow him instead."

Dark hated to admit it, but the old man was right. He bared his fangs while growling to himself. Adina looked to him and placed a hand on his in comfort. He looked to her and sighed, calming down. He gripped her hand tightly.

"So, what do we do?" Dark asked him.

"Visit the princess. She can help you." Schimdt explained. "I have already informed her as to what is going on. When you arrive, she'll know what to do. She has a power that I do not possess."

With that, Link, Dark, and Adina gave their goodbyes to the old man and headed to Hyrule Castle which was connected to Castle Town. Link was known to the royal family and thus was able to be granted access into the palace. The Hero asked a guard to see the princess and was told to wait the meeting room. Zelda must have been doing something because they were in that room for quite sometime before the princess had arrived. They all turned their heads to her; Link being the only one to bow his head to her.

"Why if it isn't Princess Zelda." Dark introduced.

"Dark Link. I havn't seen you for quite awhile." she looked to him and then to Adina.

Zelda's sapphire hues studied Adina. She pushed her blondish brown hair behind her ear and looked at the three.

"Schimdt has informed me about the Catalyst. Before I do anything I have something to say to you, Dark Link." her attention was on him now.

"Drop the Link part, lady. What it is?" Dark spoke rudely.

"Taking her there to gain her power... What will you do with it after you free yourself? If you plan to corrupt this world, then I can not help you."

Dark looked away from her. "I don't know. Whatever I please."

"There is a possibility that she will die."

Dark cringed. He had already knew that. Link had not though and his eyes widened.

"What!? She could die!?" Link stood up and quickly grabbed Dark by the collar. "Did you know!? Did you know she could die if you used her!?"

Dark didn't answer, but simply nodded. Link was ready to throw a punch to his face but Adina grabbed him.

"Link. Please let him go. Please..." She closed her eyes and Link slowly let go of Dark. "You see... I... I already knew this."

Link turned to Adina still in shock. He thought of her as a little sister. Watching her for awhile, he could see she had grown up while with Dark. She seemed more mature and less like a kid.

"I heard it while I was recovering in Kakariko. Though I couldn't move or wake, I could hear what Schimdt had said." Adina looked down then closed her eyes.

All eyes were on her.

"But... Despite that, I went along with Dark anyway without complaint. You see..." she turned to Dark, smiling to him. "I care about you, Dark. I never cared about what would happen to me. I wanted you to be free from those chains that bind you. I..."

She placed her her hand over her heart. Everyone knew where she was going at. Link and Zelda were shocked by the confession she had made to Dark. Dark, himself, stared at her then stood up. He had forgotten that the other two were there for awhile. He had pulled Adina into an embrace. He whispered into her ear. Link and Zelda had bearly heard it.

"I care for you as well... Truthfully, I didn't want to take you there." he admitted. "I was trying to rid these emotions. I'm sorry I've been cold to you these last couple of days..."

He wanted to kiss her again, but Link had cleared his throat and Dark was back to reality. He became red and pulled away from Adina and quickly turned away. Thought he couldn't believe it, Link grabbed Adina and pulled her to him.

"I don't trust you." he said to Dark. "For now, Adina is staying with me."

"What? No way. She's mine. Got that?" Dark turned to Link and drew his sword.

"Please stop. Let's get back to the matter at hand." Zelda finally stepped in.

Dark sheathed his sword and sat back down. "Carry on..."

"Yes... Well." Zelda began. "I can use my power to place a barrier around the Catalyst that keeps her power at bay. Though for you, Dark Link, I can not. Link will have to take her there while Ganondorf follows you. When the spell is cast, he will no longer sense her and thus he will follow you instead. You must lead him away from the Temple of Time. Link will leave the Catalyst there and aid you against Ganondorf. Once defeated, then you may meet with her. That is the plan."

Dark seemed unpleased. Why did he have to be sperated from Adina? It just seemed Link wanted her to himself. He passed a glare onto Link. Dark had no real intention to take Adina there anymore. Even if it ment he'd never be released from Ganondorf.

"No." Dark spoke. "There will be no further planning. We're done. I'm not taking her there just to die."

"I see... Link." Zelda turned to the green Hero. "I'd hate to say, but I believe this man."

"You believe him? He's evil. This has got to be a trick." Link's glared stayed fixed on Dark.

"I think he truely cares for her. Let's watch them and see. For now, it is late, you may all stay here. I'll have someone show you to a room." Zelda suggested; and with that, she walked out.

-o-

Dark stayed in a room with Adina. People called him her Knight, so he played the part. Adine sat in a chair, positioned next to a drawer with mirrior. Dark stood by the window. He had threw off his tunic and white undershirt along with his boots. He stared out to the white full moon that had glistened into the room. Adina had changed into a full white gown that a maid had given to her when they were given the room.

After awhile, Adina finally stood up and walked over to Dark. "What are you thinking of?"

Dark's red eyes turned to her. The soft features of her face gleamed beautifully within the moonlight. Dark couldn't remove his eyes from her, but he did try to fight the urge.

"Nothing really." was his response.

Adina took his hand. "Dark. Let's go to the Temple of Time. My power can free you right?"

"No." he said bluntly and placed his hands on her shoulders. "You know it can kill you, yet you still want to do it? You're so selfish. I want you alive. I... want you... alive because I..."

He gripped into her shoulders harder which caused her to motion backward. She moved her hands to his cheeks and stared at him. This action triggered a reaction to Dark. He kissed her and moved his tongue into her mouth. Their tongues danced with one another.

Dark softly pushed her onto the bed, touching her soft body while their lips were still touching. Adina embraced the body that layed atop of her own. Dark's hand lifted up the white gown she had worn. Her body was beautiful; he couldn't help but touch every inch of it. Adina shuddered when his hand reached to her breast. He longed for this. Her flustered face was very sensual.

Adina gasped softly at the feeling of being entered.

That night, her gentle moans rang into Dark's ear. He felt every inch of her. He felt happy to know that she was finally his.

That entire night, they embraced each other. It felt like a dream. Like a red rose that bloomed in winter.

* * *

_**This was really embarrassing to write... =/= But... I do hope you guys enjoyed it. **_


	13. Evil Shows It's Face

Morning rose. Dark held Adina's nude body against his own. His eyes slightly open, he looked to her sleeping face. He held her tighter, Adina's hair brushing against his face. Dark hadn't realized the soft smile he had put on his face just then. He waited for awhile longer before waking the young maiden with a gentle stroke on her cheek and quiet soft voice.

Adina's eyes opened slowly and looked up to Dark. It took a bit; her cheeks turned into a bright red. Dark sat up, bringing Adina up with him.

"Get cleaned up..." he spoke softly to her.

Dark and Adina had bathed and dressed themselves. Since Dark had decided against taking Adina's power, he didn't know what to do from here on out.

-o-

Dark, Link, and Adina sat in the meeting room once again, waiting for the Princess Zelda to arrive. They knew they had to defeat Ganondorf, but Dark nor Link wanted to take Adina with them or leave her alone. It was dangerous either way. Link took a peek at Adina whose face seemed to be bright. Link's eyebrow rose. What was she so happy about? He then looked to Dark who seemed relaxed himself. Dark didn't seem impatient like he usually would when he had to wait for someone to arrive. He even sat really close to Adina. Link grew a little suspicious and when he was about to speak out, Zelda walked into the room.

"Good morning, everyone." Zelda, said, sitting onto a wooden chair at the end of a long table.

"Zelda." Link smiled to her." Good morning!"

"Yes! Good morning!" Adina spoke out with a bow.

Dark, of course, gave not even a small hello. He sat there waiting, now showing an annoyed, impatient attitude.

"Tch! About time, woman." Dark said, leaning back against the chair he sat in. He placed his legs on the table.

"As rude as always, Dark Link. You never change." Zelda replied to him.

Dark put his legs down and slammed his fist onto the table. "Don't put Link's name with mine!" he growled.

"But, it's part of your name." she teased.

When Dark was about to reply back, Link stepped in. "Enough. We need to talk about what we should do about Ganondorf."

"We... We should go to the Temple of Time!" Adina said.

All eyes were on her, questioning her.

"You have to fight this man, yes?" she looked down. "I want to fight too. Not just for me, but this world. Besides being chased by those monsters, this world is a wonderful place. Not only that... I want Dark to be free too."

Adina looked to Dark, who's cheeks had only went a slight red. Link and Zelda looked at the two and then to one another. Link sighed and Zelda smiled softly. They knew what was going on.

"Adina..." Dark looked away, slightly embarrassed. "Well... I won't put you in danger. I've already decided. If you go, you're in danger. If you're left alone, you're in danger. No. I'm going to stay with you and away from him."

"He's right for once." Link added, getting a glare from Dark. "You need to stay away from the danger, not head into it."

Zelda nodded in agreement; and Adina looked down in defeat. Dark noticed her pout and placed a hand onto her head. Adina smiled widely and looked up to him.

"Did I miss something? Ho ho ho!"

Everyone turned toward the door to the room. Schimdt had walked in and made his way to the chair next to Link.

"Why are you here, old man?" Dark asked him.

"Oh, Schmidt!" Zelda said, alittle excitingly. "It's been awhile since we've seen one another, hasn't it?"

"Yes, yes." Schimdt looked to Zelda and then the other three in the room. "I came here because of a vision. It seems Dark's decision is just delaying what is to come."

"What do you mean?" Dark glared. "Why can't you just tell me how to save Adina?"

"Because you must figure that out for yourself. Like a revelation." the old man explained. "All I can say is choosing not to fight him is a bad move."

"Look! I don't want to put Adina in danger!" Dark yelled. "I've already made up my mind."

"Ho ho! So stubborn." the man looked to Adina. "How did you come to love this guy is beyond me."

"Love!?" Link and Zelda said in unison, motioning back in their seats.

Though they knew what was going on, hearing it out loud was still a shock to them. Adina looked down shyly. She didn't know to respond to the man, so she kept quiet. Link slid over to Adina and hugged her, rubbing his cheek against her own.

"Oh how my Adina has grown!" he said aloud. "What has Dark done to my little girl?"

"Hands off!" Dark yelled at Link and growled.

Link turned his head to Dark and just stared. "Oh? Are you getting jealous?"

Dark motioned back with shock. Of course he was jealous, but he wasn't about to admit that. "O-Of course I'm not!" he snatched Adina back and held her.

Link leaned against the table and smirked. He didn't know that Dark could make such faces; being from the darkness, he wouldn't expect. Link felt that nothing would surprise him now. Zelda watched the three of them play around for a bit before clearing her throat. They all turned, seeming to had forgotten that there were two others in the room and returned to proper seating.

"Dark Link... Will you not reconsider fighting Ganondorf?" Zelda asked of him.

"It's too dangerous. And what can I do anyway. The only one who can defeat the evil king is Link anyway. Ganondorf has me wrapped around his little finger." Dark's fist slammed into the table; and he growled to himself.

Adina placed a hand on his fist and it had calmed him almost right away. Zelda sighed, mostly to herself. There had to be a way for Dark to change his mind. Looking toward Adina, Zelda had a thought. It was mean, but she had no choice.

Zelda stood up and walked toward Adina. "Come with me please. I have something to discuss with you."

Adina, with no objection, followed Zelda out of the room, curious eyes following behind them.

"What does she want with her?" Dark question, seeming alittle angry.

"When it comes to Adina, you're really jealous and protective." Link smirked.

"Shut up! I'm not jealous!"

Link and Dark argued with one another for quite awhile with Schimdt laughing in the background. When Zelda and Adina returned to the room, their mouths had shut and watched them take their seat.

"What did you guys talk about?" Dark questioned.

"Nothing that concerns you, Dark Link." Zelda replied.

"What!?" Dark stood up, his hand on te hilt of his sword.

"Calm down, 'Darky'." Link teased.

"What did you call me...?" Dark's head turned toward Link, his eyes glaring and ready to kill.

Adina giggled. She could have sworn both Links could be a comedy duo. Dark looked to her and then sat back down. Now that things had calmed down, Zelda stood up.

"Well... You all may stay in the castle for as long as you need. We need to figure out a plan, so take your time." Zelda looked to them before heading out of the door.

"I want to look around the castle!" Adina said. "Link. Will you come with me?"

"Why him? I'll go." Dark stood up.

Adina shook her head. "It's okay. It's been awhile since I had seen him. I want to talk to Link. Okay?"

"Sit here and be a good boy now, Dark." Link told him, talking Adina's hand and heading for the door.

When they had left, Dark was left alone. He crossed his arms. "What the hell?"

-o-

"Was it okay to leave him?" Link asked, eyeing Adina.

She nodded. "I needed to speak with you."

Link looked at her questioningly. Adina was silent for awhile. Her green eyes looked to the floor below them. Link placed his hands behind his head, looking up; waiting for her to begin. Adina didn't know how to start out. She looked to Link slightly.

"W-Well... Tonight..." she began. "Zelda told me to do something..."

-o-

"Listen. Dark won't fight Ganondorf no matter what we say. But I have a plan." Zelda looked to Adina with serious eyes.

Adina pondered. What could it be that the princess had planned? Dark was stubborn. He didn't even listen to Adina when she wanted to go on and fight the evil king.

"Dark cares about you. You're the only one who can get him to do anything; even with his stubborness." Zelda smiled softly to Adina, who had looked at her with slightly worried eyes.

"W-What is it you have in mind?" Adina finally asked her.

"Well... Tonight, write him a letter and tell him to meet you outside. It's alittle romantic, so he'll be excited. And then you tell him about fighting with Ganondorf. I think you can pull it off since you can make cute faces when you're around him."

"C-Cute faces?" she blushed and looked down. "U-Um... I can't write..."

Zelda let out a giggle. "I see... I'll write it for you, okay?"

Adina nodded. She agreed to do this favor. She knew that it wasn't just for herself, but for all of Hyrule. Adina smiled to Zelda and the princess did the same.

-o-

"I see." Link said after Adina explained the situation to him. "It's a good idea. Dark, I bet, would do anything for you, especially if begged him. Though you probably have to go as far as begging."

Adina nodded, quiet for the rest of the walk through the castle.

-o-

Zelda had given Adina a hand written letter that was supposed to be from Adina to Dark. The sun was already setting. Adina looked to the words on the paper. She couldn't even read one word, but she tried anyway. The words were in Hylian; the main language in the land of Hyrule. Zelda had pretty handwriting, as expected from a princess.

Dark was in the bath. Adina knew this was her only chance to lay the letter to where he could find it. She held the paper for a while and then folded it neatly and placed it on the pillow of the bed.

Earlier, Zelda had told Adina that the location the two were to meet was the fountain that layed in the middle of Castle Town. The meeting was at night, so not many townsfolk would be around and the lighted torches from the surrounding buildings would give the right romantic lighting.

She sighed. Adina felt her heart racing just alittle. She was alittle nervous even though she didn't have a reason to be. She inhaled and exhaled, gathering up her courage, getting her thoughts together, and ran out of the room; heading for the designated location.

-o-

Dark returned to the room from the bathroom, pants on, no shirt, and wet dripping hair. He looked around for Adina.

"Where did she go?" he asked himself.

He sat on the bed and looked up. He was sill alittle annoyed about Adina wanting to be with Link alone. He wasn't mad at Adina, but more at Link. He cursed to himself and looked down, turning his eyes. He eyed the letter Adina had left on the pillow. He grabbed it and stared at the paper.

"What is this? From Adina?" Dark opened it up and began to read it aloud. "Dark, I have something important to discuss with you. It's really important. Meet me at the the fountain in Castle Town when the moon has reached the horizon. Love, Adina."

Dark blushed to himself and looked away. Dark was approaching and soon the moon would rise. He wondered what she wanted to discuss. It seemed like a secret meeting, so he knew it had to be something personal. Getting ahead of himself, he thought of it to be a confession of love.

-o-

Adina looked up to the new night sky. There were many stars out. They reflected from her eyes. She smiled and sat on the concrete edge of the fountain. She could feel the cool air the water brought about, mixed with the air of the cool breeze. She closed her eyes.

"Adina!" Dark called, running toward the fountain and panting softly upon arriving.

"Dark. You came." she said and smiled softly.

Dark nodded. In his mind, he had thought of how cute she was. Her smile was the best he had ever seen through out his entire life.

"Dark... I-"

Before Adina could even say what she wanted, from the darkness and hand wrapped around her mouth. It was big and cold. Adina's eyes widened and she tried to move, but the dark figure's other hand wrapped around her body, constricting her movements.

"I think it's time I take this jewel." said a man, who's voice was deep.

Dark's eyes were also wide. Not a word could come out of his mouth. He was in a bit of fear.

"It seems that you have betrayed your master." the mysterious man said. "Dark Link. You will be punished, but for now... It's time I gain the power of complete darkness."

"G... Ganondorf..." Dark snapped from his thoughts and grabbed the hilt of his sword and ran toward the evil king, drawing the sword from sheath.

Using the stealth of the shadows, Dark was able to disappear and then reappear behind the dark man. When Dark had swung his sword at Ganondorf's back, the man had vanished before Dark could even strike him. Dark turned to see the evil man behind him. Before Dark could react, had felt a hard kick to his back. He flew and slid across the ground.

"I'll deal with you later, Dark Link." Ganondorf turned. "First, I have a meeting with this maiden."

"Let her go! Ganondorf you bastard!" Dark yelled.

With that, the evil king vanished with the wind. Dark looked down. Zelda and Link ran up from behind him, calling him over and over, but Dark had blocked everything out. He lost Adina. Ganondorf had taken her; no doubt to the Temple of Time.

"I sensed Ganondorf." Zelda spoke. "We were too late. I don't see Adina here at all. He must have..." Her sentence trailed off.

Link looked distraught. He clentched his sword. "Damn it all... We couldn't get here in time. It'll take days to get to the Temple of Time. By that time, he'll..."

Dark punched the ground, causing a slight rumble of the land below them. His red eyes glew angerly. "I'll kill you Ganondorf. I'm coming and when I do... You'll regret it..."

* * *

**_Sorry that it took long to write this out. _ I was having a bit of trouble. Anyway... I hope you enjoy this chapter. Next one is going to be a more serious one as you can tell. By the way, I drew a picture of the cute scene when Link hugs Adina and Dark gets mad. You can find teh link to the pic on my profile. Thank you much for reading!_**


	14. Last Beat

Link could see the fire in Dark's eyes. It had looked like the man in black wanted to go on a rampage. Dark's fangs were baring. He, once again, punched into the ground and stood up. His red eyes gave Link a piercing gaze. Link saw his anger. Dark didn't say a word, but Link knew. He knew that Dark was going to set out to get Adina back. Link nodded to him. Dark disappeared into the shadows. Without Adina with him, Dark could travel faster through the darkness. Link turned to the Princess of Hyrule.

"I'll be going as well." he told her.

"Yes. It seems he has a motive now. I hope his anger does not get in the way. His stubborness may tell him not to work with you." Zelda told him.

Link nodded. "I know... Be safe, princess. I'll return once Ganondorf is defeated. Dark will be there before me. I hope he can stall him long enough."

Link placed two fingers in his mouth and played a small tune. The song was a bit country, but it got the job done. The song was a call to his horse. Epona trotted her way to Link and nuzzled it's nose against his hand. He petted her and then hopped up into the saddle.

"I'll return!" Link said. "Hya!"

Epona neighed and galloped out of Castle Town.

"Link. Be careful..." Zelda whispered to herself. "May the Goddesses be with you..."

-o-

The green Hero was on the move. His eyes facing forward. The Temple of Time was to the east and was pretty far from Castle Town. Link knew he had to hurry, but Epona, his horse, also needed her rest. He had to take breaks a bit frequently for her to graze and drink. Eating wasn't a big priority for the horse, but drinking was. Link was pushing her to her limit, but made it up by stopping and letting her eat or drink when they were near water.

Link's thoughts were with mixed emotions. He was angry at the evil king, worried that Dark would somehow let his anger get the better of him, and sad that Adina was taken by Ganondorf. He knew he had to be strong and not just for himself, but he couldn't help it. Dark was like his big mean brother and Adina, his little sister. He was protective of those he cared for.

His blue eyes could see the Temple of Time ahead. Though it was very far and blurry, but just seeing it made Link's hopes rise up. He smirked widely.

"Okay Epona. We can do this! Let's go!" he smiled with a nodded, lightly kicking at her sides.

-o-

Adina found herself trapped within a magic circle. When she tried to get out, a green barrier appeared in her way and pushed her back. She whimpered to herself and eyed the evil king. He was preparing for the ritual.

"Please. Let me go." Adina sniffed, her eyes on the verge of tears.

Ganondorf gave no reply. Adina had asked Ganondorf to let her go before and he had already gave her a reply, so he saw no reason to give another. The entire time, he had a dark grin on his face. Adina looked down and stepped back into the middle of the circle and sat down, bringing her knees up to her chest and looking to the ground.

Adina prayed and prayed for Dark to come for her, but every minute, every second that went by seemed like an eternity for her. She was completely scared. More scared than she was when she was running from the dark beasts when she first appeared in Hyrule. That was because she was now aware of the things around her and knew the difference between good and evil.

"Dark..." she spoke to herself. "Dark help me... I'm scared..."

Ganondorf turned to the girl. "That traitor will get his soon enough. At anytime I choose, I can get rid of him. I made him. But, he'll soon show up. I'll just torture him first for his insolence."

Adina's eyes widened and then she glared to him. Her green eyes began to glow. One more push and she would have taken her catalistic form. Ganondorf simply laughed coldly. Adina cooled down almost immediately after that. If she had unleashed her power, she have easily escaped the barrier before her.

She looked down and then back up quickly. It was far, but she could sense the presence of Dark approaching the Temple of Time. She smiled lightly and closed her eyes.

"Dark..."

-o-

Dark stopped in front of the temple, looking up.

"I thought I just heard my name..."

He looked around and then entered. Inside was completely bright. The evil king must have been further inside. Dark walked through a door; located on the other side of the currently room he was in. Deeper inside the Temple of Time had dimmer lighting than the main room before.

Dark grimaced, not having the time to stand there. He once again vanished into the shadows.

-o-

Zelda looked out the window of the tallest tower in her castle. She was worried about the others, mostly Link. She wondered if he would get there on time before Ganondorf were to take Adina's power. He'd be unstoppable then and Zelda feared the worst. If Ganondorf were to gain the power of complete darkness, then all would be lost. Zelda and Link, the ones who held the Triforce of Wisdom and Courage, wouldn't be enough; or so she thought to herself. It would take the two of them and even more power to put a stop to the evil king's reign.

"What is the future of Hyrule?" Zelda asked, turning her gaze to Schimdt who stood behind her.

"As it stands now, all will be lost. Now, it can be changed, but that would depend on Dark Link, himself. I gave them an item awhile back. If he uses it, their chances at saving Hyrule would increase." the old man explained.

Zelda nodded. Dark Link had to make an important decision and then along with him and Link, put a stop to evil once again.

"Understood. Then it is up to them..."

"Not entirely." Schimdt said. "If Hyrule is to be saved, Adina and you, princess, must also step into the battlefield."

"Me?"

"Yes. You will know when the time is right."

Zelda stared at him and then turned back toward the window.

-o-

Adina huffed into her cold hands to warm them. It was abit cold and growing ever colder or so it seemed. The girl shivered and looked up to Ganondorf, who's preparations had just been completed. Her walked up to the barrier and brought it down.

"It's time to begin." he spoke to her.

He roughly grabbed her arm and brought her to her feet. Adina did what she could to by some time. She struggled and did her best to push away. Ganondorf swung the back of his hand across her face and she landed on the ground, her cheek swollen red. She placed her hand over the sharp pain. Again, Ganondorf raised her to her feet. She was alittle more lenient this time around. He let her go and walked out of the circle. With just a few magic words, a purple shine rose below Adina's feet. She tried to move, but the magic that surrounded her was so strong that it paralyzed her body to the ground. There was no escape. Adina was scared. In the background, she could hear Ancient Hylian chants from the evil king. In her mind, she could only think of Dark and how weak she was not able to do anything for him or the world she lived in. Tears formed in her eyes. Over and over she had apologized to Dark in her mind.

"Adina!"

Once she heard her name, Adina's eyes traced back to the door. Dark appeared inside of the ritual room. Ganondorf had only smirked, continuing the ritual. He knew that Dark was no match for him for darkness could not defeat darkness and Dark had no power over his creator. Dark swung his blade to break the barrier between himself and Adina. It was to no avail.

"I have to get Ganondorf... When he stops, you'll be free. Don't worry... I'll save you, Adina. I will." Dark told her and turned his eyes to Ganondorf.

Dark was angry that he had captured Adina, taken her away, and was also angry that he was ignoring him. Dark sprinted to the evil king and brought his sword down upon him. Ganondorf didn't even have to look up to grab the sword by it's blade. He continued to speak the spell words from a worn and torn book. Dark tried over and over to at least get one hit on him, but Ganondorf had block every single one of them. Finally, the evil man raised a hand to Dark and shot him with a ball of magic. It was strong and caused Dark to fly back and hit the wall. He dropped his sword and fell to the ground. For the moments he was stunned from the attack, Ganondorf stepped into a smaller magic circle and finished off the spell.

"Ah!" Adina yelped.

She felt her power being drained from her own body. Her eyes looked to Dark, who could only lay there and watch her. His face was in shock and even had a hint of sadness. She was crying but she had a small smile on her face. She opened her mouth to speak, though no words came out, Dark could read her lips. His eyes widened and he stood up quickly and ran over to her. He felt his chest get tight and a feeling of sorrow overcame him. He wondered why. Why did he feel that way?

He placed his hands over the barrier wall. Adina's eyes softened. Yes. She could feel her life slipping away. The colored tips of Adina's hair began to fade and her hair became completely white. Her bright emerald green eyes began to dim.

When the transfer ended, Adina's body fell forward. Fortunately, Dark was there to catch her. He called her name plenty of times, but she did not answer. He placed a hand on her cheek. She was cold.

"Adina...?" Dark shook her lightly. "Adina?! Adina!" he called her over and over, but no answer came to him.

For the first time, Dark cried; though in grief.

At that time, Link had made his appearance. He rushed through the door, panting heavily. He eyed the evil king, who's body was covered in a completely black and purple aura and then he turned his head to Dark, who held Adina in his arms. It quickly struck him.

"I was... too late." Link muttered, biting his lip.

* * *

_**Wow! Right? What do you guys think will happen next chapter? We'll see won't we. This is the shortest chapter I've wrote on here, but it's to the point. I already have the next chapter in mind. Hope you guys enjoyed this!**_


	15. Violet Soul

Ganondorf spared no mercy. Adina had a chance to live, but the evil man took every last inch of her life. With Dark too caught up in the death of Adina, Link was alone to take care of Ganondorf himself. He was angry. Of course, Link's rage didn't get the better of him, but he was mad enough to think of killing Ganondorf in a horrific way. He should have known that the evil man would give no mercy. He wanted to control Hyrule or even the entire world! Link had rathered Dark take Adina's power, and then he'd know that Dark wouldn't take everything Adina had to offer.

As Ganondorf stepped up in front of the Hero and gave a sinister smile. Ganondorf was overflowing with incredible power. He, alone, couldn't fight this man. Link looked to Dark, who still held Adina in his hands.

"Dark. Dark!" Link called, but recieved no answer. "Dark, get up! This isn't the time to be moping! I'm sorry I was late and we couldn't save her, but now we have to fight! So get up!"

Link held up his sword, his eyes going back and forth between Dark and Ganondorf. When Dark didn't bother to respond to Link, the green Hero glared to Ganondorf. He understood how Dark felt, but it also wasn't the time for it.

"It seems your better half isn't responding." the evil man spoke, raising his hand up and showing off his Triforce of Power.

When his Triforce glew, so did Link's.

-o-

Zelda looked to the back of her hand, her Triforce of Wisdom had also shown.

"My lady. It's time." Schimdt said.

Zelda turned around and called out to a guard. "Ready my horse!"

She turned to the old man. "I felt it. Link has made it to the Temple of Time. But, was he in time to save Adina?"

The question was more toward herself than to the man. Schimdt didn't want to give anyone too much information for discoveries were made to discovered on their own. Though, he did throw hints to those who were allowed to change their fate.

-o-

"I think I want to see you struggle for awhile." Ganondorf jumped back.

The door behind Link had shut with metal bars. Link turned to see he was trapped inside and then looked to Ganondorf who then snapped his fingers from the far side of the room.

Adina's eyes flashed open, glowing a bright green.

"Adina?" Dark looked to her, but she wasn't herself.

Her body began to rise on it's own.

"Y-You're alive?" Dark stood up as well, slowly approaching her.

"Dark! Get away from her!" Link yelled to him.

Adina turned to Dark and swiftly kicked him across his face, causing him to fly across the room and hitting against the wall. Ganondorf laughed deviously. Adina's crystal wings began to appear and she walked over beside Ganondorf.

"Damn..." Link looked to Dark, who shakingly began to stand up.

"You... Damn you..." Dark looked to the evil man.

Dark hated the fact that Ganondorf used Adina like a puppet. It angered him. Dark wanted to kill that man a thousand times. Link had the feeling that Dark was about to explode. Dark didnt realize that if he were to attack Ganondorf, that the evil man would use Adina as a shield; so before that would happen, Link stopped Dark.

"Dark! Don't attack! If you do, he''ll use Adina. You'll be attacking her instead!" Link told him.

Dark's eyes widened. His fist pounded into the ground and he cursed himself.

"The Hyrule's Hero... And his shadow." Ganondorf began. "Neither of you can defeat me. Play with this instead!"

Adina's body turned to Link and began to run to him. Link motioned back and then jumped out of the way when Adina threw a punch at him. She was incredibly fast. Link had bearly been able to dodge her attack. As soon as Link dodged, Adina didn't give him anytime to dodge again, she landed a blow to his right cheek then quickly grabbed and held him up by the neck, squeezing it semi tightly. Link brought his hands up and wrapped them around her wrist to get her hand off, but she was strong. He had to do something. Even though it would hurt him to do so, Link kicked her stomach, causing her to let go of him and jump back. Her head tilted like that of a lifeless doll.

"A-Adina." Dark walked up to her. "Stop."

"Dark..." Link looked to him. Dark was a mess. "She doesn't have a soul, Dark... She's... empty..."

Link hated to say it, but it was true. It hurt Dark badly to hear those words. They both needed to get over the fact that she was dead. Dwelling on her death would cause them to not be able to fight back. Link looked down in thought while the empty vessel was at a standstill. It wasn't very long though because she began to move again, this time toward Dark. Link quickly looked over to him. Dark was still in shock. He wasn't ready to fight. Link called his name, but Dark didn't move. That was until Adina went in for a punch to his face. Dark held up his shield in time to block her. She jumped back and then tried again; and over and over, Dark dodged her attacks. Adina changed her rhythm of attacks and bent down, sliding her under Dark's feet. Dark fell back. Being unguarded, Adina went in for a down kick. Just in time, Link moved in, swing his sword horizontally to her. She jumped back to dodge him.

Dark fell back. Hearing a clang, he looked back. A vile fell out of the pouch that hung from the back of his belt. His eyes went wide. It was the vile given to him and Adina by the old man. Schimdt had told them that they'd know when to use it. Dark grabbed it. He felt that that time was now.

"Link." Dark whisper to degree that only the Hero could hear.

Link slightly looked back to him. "What is it?"

"I need to get close to Adina. I have a plan..."

Link listened to what Dark had to say. It was going to be hard to follow up on it, but Link did agree to try his best. Adina was so quick that it would be hard to restrain her.

While the evil king sat back and watched the fight, he had grown alittle suspicious as the small conversation the Hero and his shadow were having. He ordered Adina to attack again. The battle commenced, this time with Dark and Link fighting her together. Because they were both fighting her, Adina's movements were alittle constricted. She wasn't as fast as she was when fighting a one on one battle. They didn't want to hurt her, so Dark and Link took the defensive route. Since she Adina's was just a mere puppet, she wasn't smart. She had only punched and kicked at their shields.

"We need to weaken her somehow. She's got no weak point. She doesn't get tired." Dark spoke. "We need to constrain her somehow."

Link pushed his shield against Adina to force her back. "I know. But since she's being con... trolled..." Link paused. "That's it! We need to attack Ganondorf instead. He's controlling her. If we can somehow manage to get him to focus just on us, he won't be able to pull her strings. Get it?"

Dark nodded.

It was a great plan and since the Hero came from the light, only he could stand a chance against the evil king. So, while Dark fought Adina, Link would face Ganondorf.

Link brought his sword down on the dark king, but he easily cause the blade with one hand. Ganondorf let out a wicked laugh.

"You think you can stop me boy?" he pushed Link back by the blade and he, himself, brought out his own black sword.

Link's sword clashed against Ganondorf's own, but it didn't go as planned. Though his attacks aimed at the Hero, Ganondorf was still able to control Adina with no problem. Link needed to get a hit in. The evil man used his sword to deflect Link's. When Link was open, Ganondorf brought his foot up and kicked him roughly, causing Link to fall to the ground.

Dark looked back to the Hero. "Damn it. Useless!"

The evil king held his foot down on Link's stomach and held the point of his blade to Link's chest.  
"Looks like the Hero meets his end here."  
Link's eyes widened when Ganondorf brought down his sword.

Ganondorf let out a yelp of pain, before stumbling back. Link looked to himself and then the evil man before him. A golden arrow had shot through Ganondorf's side.

The beautiful princess Zelda stood by the door of the room with a bow in hand.

"Dark Link! Hurry!" she told him.

Dark turned back to Adina who was still in her catalystic form, but stood still due to Ganondorf being in pain. The hit with the arrow had been blessed by the Goddesses and so it was Holy. Before Ganondorf was able to recover, Dark quickly poured the violet drink into his mouth then forcefully pulled Adina into his arms and pressed his lips to hers and with his tongue, pushed the liquid into her mouth. With no choice, it had gone down Adina's throat.

Dark pulled back and placed Adina on the ground. Her catalyst form had dispersed.

Link stood up and Zelda walked up behind him.

"I got here in time. What will we do now?" she whispered. "A surprise attack won't work this time."

"Yeah... We need a plan." Link stared to Ganondorf, who had just removed the arrow and looked to both of them and then Dark and Adina.

"Well if it isn't the princess. You think you can defeat me too? I'm unstoppable!" Ganondorf exclaimed.

"Not precisely." Zelda spoke. "There's something you don't know. The power you took from her wasn't even all of her power."

"What?" Ganondorf growled.

-o-

"The elixir I gave to Dark and Adina is something made from the catalyst when it was in crystal form; mixed with several different elements of course." Schmidt explained. " If something were to happen to the catalyst, such as Ganondorf stealing her power, then this should be given to her. It it apart of her life as well, so if she were to drink it, can you guess what would happen?"

-o-

"What Dark gave her... Was a piece of her life back!" Link said happily after hearing Zelda's explanation.

"Yes."

Ganondorf's eyes were wide and he quickly turned to the girl who lied on the ground. Her green eyes began to open and shine.

* * *

_**Hello and Merry Christmas to you all. Sorry I took long on this one too and that it's short. The story is almost at the end! Couple of chapters left! I want to thank everyone who's read and enjoyed this fanfic so far. Hope you all enjoyed the holidays! Thanks again.**_


	16. Al Fine

The Catalyst rose to her feet. Her catalystic form had appeared again, but differently like a new transformation. Crystal-like scales began to spread from her back to the sides of her face and to the front of her chest and stomach. Her teeth had grown fangs. The scales were an amethyst color and shimmered when light hit them. She turned her body toward Dark who had stood there in surprise. He was happy to see her, but the form Adina had taken to completely different.

"Dark." she spoke.

Adina had seemed to have full control over her body this time around.

"Let's defeat him."-she looked to Link and Zelda- "All of us together."

Link grinned and nodded and Zelda nodded with a smile as well. The princess took hold of a golden arrow and with the bow, pointed it to the King of Evil. Link, with sheild in hand, rose up his sword. Dark also held up his sword and pointed it to Ganondorf and Adina stood in front of them, a glare in her eyes toward the evil man.

"Hah! You think you can defeat me? Just because you have the Catalyst; it means nothing!" Ganondorf held up his black sword and swung it, a dark disc of energy being released from it.

His attack was so wide, that the others couldn't even run. It was fast as well. With no time to run, it had hit the four of them, causing them to be pushed back. They were able to use their weapons and sheilds to protect themselves from the full damage they could have recieved.

Link dashed toward Ganondorf bringing his sword to a horizontal slash; which was quickly stopped by Ganondorf's own dark blade. The evil man smirked and was easily able to push back the Hero, but right after that, Zelda shot a golden arrow to the King of Evil. It had hit him in his arm. He grunted painfully and Link was able to gain a couple strikes with his sword to Ganondorf's armor. It was then that the dark man deflected Link's sword and jumped back.

Holding his shield in front of him and his sword in the other hand, Link eyed Ganondorf and then looked back to the other three who were prepared to fight next. Of course, Dark wasn't going to wait any longer. His hatred for his master and maker was higher than his hatred for Link himself, which said alot.

Dark ran toward Ganondorf in anger. No matter how many times he had swung his sword to the evil man, Ganondorf blocked him with his own black blade. There was no way Dark was even close to a match for Ganondorf. After all, he made Dark and he could also destroy him; but instead, Ganondorf decided to play with him just for a bit of amusement. Dark had seen that none of his attacks were getting through, but even that didn't stop him.

"Dark... He's blinded by rage." the princess of Hyrule had said, preparing another one of her golden arrows. "He must calm himself."

"Dark! Stop!" Link called. "You can't defeat him!"

Adina had only watched without a word. She was worried for the man she loved, but she understood in a way of how he felt. Being under the thumb of Ganondorf, doing his bidding, and even getting punished if the job had gone wrong. She didn't want to step in, or at least, not yet. Dark needed a bit of a vent. Even his lingering hurt feelings of Adina's short death still ate at him. He knew if they had failed to defeat Ganondorf here and now, the evil man would kill everyone, including Adina. Dark wouldn't, he couldn't, let that happen.

Ganondorf had finally had his fill of enjoyment of Dark trying to defeat him. When he grew tired of Dark's attempts, he simply swatted him away with the flat part of his blade and let out a dark laugh. This did not stop Dark. He stood back up from where he had landed and attempted to rush toward Ganondorf once more, but was stopped. Adina stood in front of him.

"That is enough, Dark." she spoke to him. "Only the Master Sword can defeat this man. We can only aid in the fight, not defeat him."

On the inside, he knew. Adina was right about that, but he hated Ganondorf. For her, he had calmed himself down and sighed. Adina nodded. It was her turn now.

Jumping into the air, she flipped brought down her foot to Ganondorf's head. It was also stopped, but by his hand. He simply grinned and threw her across the room, of course Dark dove in to catch her.

The weilders of the Triforce of courage and wisdom looked to one another. They knew it was up to them.

"Link. We must land more damage." Zelda turned to the catalyst. "Adina."

Adina looked to the princess, standng up straight.

"I can not hit Ganondorf with my arrows. Please help Link destract him. And Link" -Zelda turned her head to him- "Same as last time. Once my arrow has peirced him, attack."

Adina and Link nodded to the princess's plan. Dark had stayed back for this. There was nothing he could do to help. As strong as he was, his power came from the King of Evil himself, so his power would only be absorbed. He cursed himself for being useless. Dark clenched his fists, watching the others fight the battle he could not.

Adina, now being aware of her abilities, was able to fight thoroughly. Her movements were swift and fluid. Adina landed a hard punch to Ganondorf's face while he was defending himself against Link's sword. It was Zelda's chance. With her bow and arrow already ready, she shot the gold arrow toward Ganondorf. Link and Adina jumped back for the arrow to make a clean hit. While it had him stunned from battle, Link took in more hits to his armor.

Ganondorf took the arrow from his shoulder and threw it to the ground.

"It seems you guys dont give up." he spoke.

The Master Sword Link held was powerful against Ganondorf. It had almost cut through his armor entirely.

Ganondorf roared and then disappeared. Everyone looked around but he was no where to be seen.

"Above!" Dark shouted, looking up.

A red portal appeared above their heads. Ganondorf fell through the portal in a differant form. The others regrouped to face the boar-like beast. Luckily, the room they were in was big enough for the giant beast to stand in.

"His Dark Beast form... Ganon." Zelda spoke in almost a whisper.

With a battle cry, Ganon charged at them. The others dove for cover with the exception of Adina. Because the crystal-like scales on her body were tough, she could take a bit of damage. With her crystal wings, she flew toward Ganon and grabbed at one of his tusks. She was falling back, but she was soon able to become steady. She used whatever strength she had and flipped him onto his back. Ganon had a hard time flipping back over. Adina panted and looked over to Link.

"Hurry! Attack the mark on his chest!" she told him.

Link nodded. He held his sword up high and ran toward the beast. With a little push from Adina, Link was able to jump high enough to land on Ganon and thrust his sword down into the chest of the beast countless times until he was shaken off. Adina landed on the ground and the two of them ran to the others safely. Ganon rose to the four of his feet and roared, turning to the others who had risen their defences.

Somehow, they needed to get the beast onto it's back again so that Link could attack it's weak point.

Adina had noticed that when Ganon was charging at her, he was so fast, yet heavy that if he tried to turn or stop quickly, he wouldn't be able to. She nodded to herself.

"Link when he comes at us again, be on stand by... I will flip him over again." Adina instructed.

"Right." Link nodded, readying his sword once again.

Dark looked to Adina. Ever since she was revived, she was differant, stronger somehow. She wasn't the frightened girl she was before.

Adina lifted from the ground, letting her wings guide her to the charging Ganon. Again, she grabbed at his tusk. It took a short time to flip him over. Link jumped onto the beast, thrusting his sword against the wound until shaken off.

"Link... Hold out your sword..." Adina told him.

The Hero pondered as to why she wanted him to do so. Adina knew that he would need more power to defeat the Evil King. Once Link had held out his sword, Adina tapped the blade with two fingers. At that time, her catalystic form dispersed. With a smile, she fell back only to be quickly caught by Dark.

"What happened." Dark questioned Link.

Link's blade shined a light purple. "She... She transferred her power to my sword."

Yes. Adina had given up the rest of her power to give to the Hero. She was now a regular Hylian girl. She panted softly and smiled.

"You can beat him, Link." she said. "Get him."

Link nodded. Ganon had reverted by into his other human-like form. Because Ganon did not have Adina's full power, he wasn't as powerful as he wanted to be and so, the battle commenced with Ganondorf in a weaker state.

Dark helped Adina stand. "Are you alright?"

"Yes." Adina quickly hugged Dark.

He was a bit surprised, but he did return her hold on him.

Ganondorf and Link were at a stand off. They stared at one another and not before long, Ganondorf ran toward Link with his sword high. At the same time, Link held up his sword and shield, running to him as well. They both let out the screams of battle. Link, being more flexible, had beat Ganondorf to the punch. Before Ganondorf could bring his sword down toward Link, Link's Master Sword peirced through the armor of the evil man. Thanks to the sword's and Hero's power together and the help of Adina's power, Link was able to deliver that fatal blow.

"Me. Defeated by a mere child." Ganondorf coughed and spewed green blood as Link removed his sword and jumped back. He placed his hand over his wound. "Curse you... all... When I return I'll... send you all to your graves..."

Again, blood spat from his mouth. Ganondorf fell to his knees and then fell forward. There he layed, lifeless on the floors of the temple. Hyrule was safe from the evil man.

"Link!" Adina ran to him and gave him a hug of victory.

Dark and Zelda walked over to him. Dark smirked.

"I can't believe you did it again." he said.

Link turned to Dark and quickly brought his sword down diagnolly a couple of inches from his face. Dark, of course, yelled at Link.

"Are you trying to kill me!?" Dark held up a fist, but Adina stopped him.

"Dark, no. Link at your binds." she smiled softly.

Link smiled. "Now you can do what you want."

Dark looked to his hands. Sure enough, Link used the power of the Catalyst to cut his ties with Ganondorf. The darkness binding the two together had been cut. Link had to quickly remove them because now the power that Adina had given him, began to disappear.

"It is over..." Zelda looked up. "Thank you everyone."

-o-

With peace restored to Hyrule, things began to return to normal. Zelda had returned to Hyrule Castle. Link returned to Brogan and he, along with all the villagers there, began to rebuild their homes. Dark and Adina set out to Kakariko, where they stayed to live.

The Goddesses, now that the Catalyst of Darkness had completely disappeared, allowed Adina to live among the lives of Hyrule as a normal girl. To forever be with Dark, the man she had fallen for.

-o-

"Dark!" Adina called, waving to him with smile.

Adina's hair was cut short and her belly was big. Dark walked over to her.

"You shouldn't be up. You need to go home and rest." he told her, a hint of annoy in his speech.

Adina promised him she was fine, of course he did not agree with her. Quickly, he rushed her inside their small home and layed her in bed. Adina sighed and smiled with a shake of her head. Dark was being over protective of her. Even in these times of peace, he was still on his guard and at times, he'd go to Brogan and pick fights with Link as well.

Dark layed beside her on the bed and took her hand. Her emerald eyes stared into his red hues. Adina placed a hand onto his cheek while tightly holding on to his hand. They closed their eyes, smiling to one another.

* * *

_**Hope you all enjoyed this chapter? One more chapter to go! What will be said and done you ask? Just wait and find out. I want to thank you all for reading this. It has made me really happy! By the way... Sorry for the wait. ^^;;**_


	17. Epilogue

A cry from child could be heard from the other side of the door. Dark wasn't allowed inside, not yet anyway. He had been pacing the floors and stopped the door had opened. Link had also been sitting and waiting outside and when it was time to enter, the two men walked into the room. Wrapped in a tan blanket was a small baby. Being held by it's mother, the former Catalyst, Adina. Her green eyes peered to the child and smiled tiredly. Her hair was a mess and she was alittle sweaty. She poked at the little baby's innocent cheeks. The doctor looked toward Dark and Link, walking over to them.

"The baby is a boy." he spoke. "Very healthy too. There were no problems."

"Good." Dark sighed in relief and walked over to Adina and his crying child.

Usually, Dark would have the impatience of a child when wanting candy, but since the child was of his own, he had a change of heart.

"So, what of a name?" Dark asked her.

"How about naming him after his uncle?" Link pointed to himself with a huge smile.

Of course it was a joke, but Dark had given him a look that would say 'Hell if I'd let that happen'.

Adina giggled. "How about Vassil?"

"Vassil..." Dark repeated it in his mind and then nodded. "Sounds royal and dark. I like it."

"A great name you've chosen, Adina." Link complimented.

"Thank you." she held her dear child close to her. "Our son will be a fine warrior just as his father."

-o-

Sitting on his chair in front of a warm fire, Schimdt the old mage stared in the flames.

"Peace has returned to Hyrule for now." he spoke to himself and smiled. "But not all is over... For in two hundred years a new evil will arise. One stronger than Ganondorf. I have foreseen it. This colossal beast would spread it's evil seed onto Hyrule. Hero... Will you be reborn in time to save this land once more?"

The old man looked up to his ceiling, sitting back and thinking of the dark future that was to come.

"My power weakens. I can no longer see the rest of Hyrule's fate. Please... Save this world..."

Schimdt closed his eyes slowly. The warmth of body faded and only the outside was kept warm by the fire.

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**_Very short and to the point! This is the Epilogue that'll go into another LoZ fanfic. Yes. A sequel! And yes, it is another Adventure/Romance one. x3 I hope you all enjoyed this story. It was very fun to type up too. Thank you for all of your support everyone! I love you all!_**


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